“Topol writes sincerely, passionately. And I love that.”
— Cees Nooteboom

Jáchym Topol (1962) is often referred to as true modern European classic. He is rooted in the Czech cultural underground of the seventies and eighties and was a key figure in this movement. He founded several cultural magazines, worked as a journalist and meanwhile made his first steps in literature by writing poetry. It was in 1994 when he made a devastating entrance with his first novel Sestra (City Sister Sliver), which quickly gained the status of a cult book and Topol was compared to Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs. With this novel he displayed his own unparalleled style, a mixture of colloquial and poetic language.
Since then he has published several other novels in which he touches on both historical (e.g the crushing of the 1968 Prague Spring by Warsaw Pact troops, World War II) and current themes (e.g. the Russian threat, modern Europe, old age). Family, and the special relationship between brothers, are a recurring element in his work. His books are populated by people on the fringes of society. Ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
But in fact, all his books are essentially, as Topol himself says, love stories.
Topol has great success abroad, He established his name as being one of the most important Czech, or more precise, European contemporary authors. His work is being translated in over 20 languages. He has been awarded with several literary prizes; including the Czech State Prize for Literature in 2017 , and in Slovenia in 2015 with the Vilenica Award for his entire oeuvre. Among several other awards, he was made a Knight of Czech Culture in 2018.
Currently, Topol holds the position of programme director at the Václav Havel Library.
Novels
Sestra (City Sister Silver)
Atlantis, Brno (1994)
Výlet k nádražní hale (A Trip to The Train Station)
Petrov, Brno (1994)
Anděl (Exit Angel)
Hynek, Prague (1995)
Noční práce (Night Work)
Torst/Hynek, Prague (2001)
Kloktat dehet (Gargling With Tar)
Torst, Prague (2005)
Chladnou zemí (The Devil’s Workshop)
Torst, Prague (2009)
Citlivý člověk (A Sensitive Person)
Torst, Prague (2017)
short novels
Zlatá hlava (The Golden Head)
In Život, Prague (2005)
Supermarket sovětských hrdinů (The Supermarket of Soviet Heroes)
Torst, Prague (2007)
Poetry
Miluju tě k zbláznění (I Love You Madly)
Revolver Revbue, Prague (1988)
V úterý bude válka (The War Will Be on Tuesday)
Vokno, Prague; Atlantis, Brno (1992)
Plays
Cesta do Bugulmy (The Jourey to Bugulma)
Torst, Prague (2007)