This promising young author subtly incorporates a call for social change into his poems to create a truly engaged contemporary work of the highest poetic quality.

Poetry  |  English sample translation available

Vacant lots – or the connective theme of loneliness – remain after something is no longer there and is sorely missed. They symbolise the current role of humanity in a ruthlessly marketed and estranged world. Ostrava’s industrial setting is the backdrop and the focus of the poetic space in which the speaker sensitively perceives and consistently names what really affects the world: economic and political interests, hyper-consumerism and poverty, and threats to language. This poetic debut is clear evidence of the young author’s exceptional talent and his indisputable sense regarding the relevance of poetic expression.

Poet Jan Nemček (1986) studied Czech language and literature. His poetry collection, Proluka (Vacant Lots, 2016), was nominated for the Jiří Orten Award for authors under thirty. Nemček lives in Ostrava where he organises author readings.