Bohemica Olomucensia

The Eternal 20th Century?

The paper deals with the phenomenon of recent Czech prose works that reflect the theme of modern Central European history, especially of the 20^th century. Attention is paid to the analysis of the critical and reader reception of selected novels and novellas as well as their awards in domestic literary polls and competitions. The study also examines and describes the significant literary schematism, including the repetition of motifs, narrative structures, and types of fictional characters; finally, the paper considers the potential reasons for the success of this wave of "memory" works.

Keywords: contemporary Czech prose; memory in literature; literary criticism; literary awards