Ondřej Štindl: Fear, Nothingness, Desire, Escape
– Czechia
Štindl was born in Prague in 1966, Ondrej studied pedagogy at Charles University, Prague. He was a co-founder of Rádio 1 Station, and now works as a journalist, scriptwriter and novelist. His film scripts have received two Český lev Prizes (for Pouta in 2010 and for the series Svět pod hlavou in 2017). He has also received the prestigious Ferdinand Peroutka Prize (2020). His fiction includes Mondschein (2012), K hranici (To the Frontier, 2016) and Až se ti zatočí hlava (Till Your Head Spins, 2020). “Štindl’s novel balances satire, horror, psychodrama and road movies. It is also a raw and oppressive caricature of a split society, and a portrait of an existential crisis, a fear of emptiness, and a desire for escape,” says the blurb for his newest work.