Money from Hitler: Radka Denemarková (Czech Republic) in Conversation with Yossi Avni-Levy

Czech author, playwright, translator and screenwriter Radka Denemarková is regarded as one of the most prominent voices in contemporary Czech literature. Her novel Money from Hitler (Persimmon Books, 2024, translated by Pe’er Friedmann) tells the story of Gita Lauschmanova, a Jewish woman who returns to her hometown after surviving the concentration camps, only to discover that her family’s property was seized by the townspeople during the war. Rather than acknowledging the injustice, the villagers turn their backs on her, treating her as an unwelcome outsider. As the novel unfolds, Gita confronts the personal and collective trauma of the Holocaust and the moral indifference surrounding her, and struggles to reclaim both her dignity and her family’s property.

Denemarková will speak with author and diplomat Yossi Avni-Levy, former Israeli ambassador to Serbia and Lithuania, and winner of the 2024 Sapir Prize for his novel Three Days in Summer.

This event is part of a collaboration to promote contemporary European literature between the European Union and the International Writers Festival at Mishkenot Sha'ananim.