Arriving in good time
During the festive season in December, traffic tends to get heavily congested in Ljubljana. Visitors are advised to leave home earlier than usual to avoid arriving late.
A woman in her twenties has to come to terms with a devastating family tragedy. How can she survive after her sister commits suicide? This poetic literary work wraps a traumatic subject into gentle humour. To the rhythmic rumble of the train, scenes from the past reappear to the young protagonist with a wounded body and soul, and these tragic, as well as occasionally comic fragments, are gradually pieced together to form the story of her family. While travelling on the subway, Marie consider her own chaotic life, relationships, reminiscing about the happy moments spent with her sister. She blames herself for her sister's death. Despite the bitter subject, the tragedy and depression, the novel contains a hefty dose of subtle humour and irony. The author's characteristic flow of language and the extraordinary clarity of style make for a pleasant read.
The novel has been translated by Anja Simič.
Lucie Faulerová (1989) is a Czech writer editor and screenwriter. She graduated in Czech Studies from Palacký University in Olomouc. Her debut novel, Lapači prachu (Dust Catchers), was published in 2017 and nominated for the Magnesia Litera Prize and the Jiří Orten Prize for Young Authors. She also works with the Czech conceptual artist Kateřina Šedá – for example, on the book Brnox– A Guide to Brno’s Bronx, which won the 2017 Magnesia Litera Prize in the journalism category. Faulerová’s second novel, Smrtholka (Deathmaiden), came out in 2020 and won the 2021 European Union Prize for Literature.
The talk will take place in English, with simultaneous translation into Slovenian.