Susanna Roth Prize 2015: The Return of the King of Šumava

David Jan Žák: The Return of the King of Šumava / A Novel about Josef Hasil (Labyrint, 2012)

A biographical novel about the elusive smuggler who became the prototype of the King of Šumava is based on his own memories, testimonies of witnesses, and archival documents. It is the most extensive literary reconstruction of the story of a man who, after the war, initially helped protect the border in the police uniform of the then National Security Corps, but after February 1948 became its most feared opponent. The book captures not only an exceptional human fate but also the dramatic events associated with the emergence of the infamous Iron Curtain. Josef Hasil, who now lives in the suburbs of Chicago, received the Medal of Heroism from President Václav Havel in 2001. David Jan Žák Labyrint - The Return of the King of Šumava

Participation in the competition

Czech Centres: Budapest, Bucharest, Kyiv, London, Madrid, Moscow, Sofia, Tokyo, Warsaw, Vienna Embassies of the Czech Republic: Helsinki, Cairo, Riga, Zagreb The competition took place in close cooperation with the Czech Centres abroad and the embassies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Applicants from 17 countries translated text from David Jan Žák's book The Return of the King of Šumava, a biographical novel about the "elusive smuggler" Josef Hasil (Labyrint, 2012). Based on the evaluation of a total of 90 translations by local experts, the best translators from 13 countries were selected.

Awarded translators

Bulgaria: Borislava Spasova Egypt: Bothaina Abdelahay Mohamed Finland: Sampo Saari Croatia: Marija Ozretić Japan: Akane Ema Latvia: Aiga Veckalne Hungary: Zsuzsanna Juhászné Hahn

Poland: Aleksandra Seidel-Mączyńska Romania: Gabriela Georgescu Russia: Xenia Timenčik Spain: Diana Bass Switzerland: Maria Pobuda Ukraine: Myroslava Čučupaka

Prize

Each awarded translator received a symbolic lifetime pass to the Moravian Library and was invited to a several-day visit to the Czech Republic associated with participation in the Bohemistics seminar organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

The Bohemistics seminar, organized by the publishing house Větrné mlýny , took place from July 11 to 15, 2015, at literary stops in Brno (Month of Author Readings), Stará Říše (J. Florian), Petrkov (B. Reynek), Lipnice (J. Hašek), Sázava (P. Kohout and J. Mašínová), and Prague (P. Placák, D. J. Žák).

During the seminar, participants learned about contemporary literary life and traveled to Stará Říše and Petrkov for Catholic literature. The program included meetings with writers, author readings, theoretical literary-historical lectures, and the opportunity to get acquainted with the literary operations of the publishing houses Fra, Labyrint, and Revolver Revue, as well as significant institutions in the Czech Republic.