Sat 9/5 19:00
Radek Wollmann: Krev Kruh Černá (Blood Circle Black)

A talk with Radek Wollmann will present his striking debut Krev Kruh Černá (Blood Circle Black), nominated this year for the Magnesia Litera award. 

This documentary-inflected prose returns to the late 1990s and opens up a raw image of a time marked by violence, racism, and the search for identity. Drawing on his own experience as a member of the antifascist and squatter movements, the author offers a personal, self-reflective view of confrontations with neo-Nazism, as well as the boundaries beyond which violence begins. Wollmann revisits the memory of the 1990s—often simplified or pushed aside—and recalls the concrete impacts of racially motivated violence.

The book draws the reader into a strong personal narrative that follows the occupation of squats such as Zenklovka and Milada, the defence of Truhlářská and Klinika, and the functioning of cultural spaces like Café na půli cesty and Prostor 39.

Radek Wollmann did not limit himself to street clashes; he repeatedly infiltrated neo-Nazi environments undercover, including concerts, meetings, and gatherings. Together with others, he maps the far-right scene and focuses his activities on its key actors. A central theme is coordinated self-defence against neo-Nazism, which at the time had a strong influence on Czech cities. Informal antifascist groups confronted neo-Nazis, blocked their events, and protected those under attack.

The story also captures autonomous clubs and venues as important bases of leftist subculture. It returns to the post-revolutionary period, when street violence was a common part of everyday reality. It shows how subcultures organised themselves and responded through collective resistance. It also recalls key protests and events that shaped the scene at the time. The book offers a raw and engaged perspective, connecting the past with present-day issues of racism, identity, and human rights.

Krev Kruh Černá (Blood Circle Black) is not only a record of violence and the wild atmosphere of the 1990s and early 2000s—the text is interwoven with poetry, literary references, and a carefully constructed composition that moves between dynamic passages and more contemplative moments, including experiments with language.

Admission: 100 CZK (tickets available at the venue)

The event is part of the Textconnexion 2026 project, supported by the statutory city of Pardubice and the Pardubice Region.