As part of the Czechia Guest of Honour Programme

Saturday 10 October 2026 · 13:15–14:00
Czechia stand · Hall 3.1, C65
Frankfurt Book Fair
In English, without translation

Wales Literature Exchange is delighted to co-present a conversation between two of the most striking debut novelists of recent years, as part of the Czechia Guest of Honour Programme at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Marek Torčík and Anthony Shapland have both written critically acclaimed, award-winning debut novels that turn to queer identities, trauma, hidden histories and the weight of memory. On the Czechia stand at Frankfurt, they will come together to discuss the shared themes in their work, the writing of small places and marginal lives, and the responsibilities of the debut novelist working with difficult inherited material.

Marek Torčík is a Czech poet and novelist. His debut novel Rozložíš paměť — published in German as Was die Zeit nicht nimmt by ANTHEA, translated by Mirko Kraetsch — won the 2024 Magnesia Litera Book of the Year, the Czech Republic's most prestigious literary prize.

Anthony Shapland is a Welsh visual artist and writer. His debut novel A Room Above a Shop (Granta) which has been translated into French and published by Éditions Philippe Rey) is set in a small South Wales valleys town in the late 1980s, and was named overall winner of the 2026 Wales Book of the Year, awarded by Literature Wales. It was previously named Hay Festival Book of the Year 2025, Waterstones Welsh Book of the Year 2025, and an Observer Best Debut of 2025.

The conversation will be moderated by Alexandra Büchler, Director of Literature Across Frontiers and Wales Literature Exchange.

In cooperation with Literature Across Frontiers and Wales Literature Exchange, and with the support of the Arts Council of Wales.