“Martin Vopenka is one of my favourite Czech writers because he is not Czech at all, like Milan Kundera. You can’t find one anecdote or joke in his works, he is not boasting about his sense of humour.
He is practically an off-geographical, modern writer for young people before their fourties, who realized that a real life is somewhere else.
His writings are careful and precise, they have nothing in common with Hrabal’s language orgies. He is a Czech writer by chance.
He could be British too.”
Mariusz Szczygiel, Poland
European
Literature
Network
Review
The Times
Review
SCIENCE FICTION
The best science fiction for February 2021 – miracles and messiahs in a frozen future
Politics and spirituality collide in Simon Ings’s top sci-fi choice
Morning Star
Review
If in the near future a new Messiah were to appear in the middle of Europe, would people accept him? And would it prove possible to establish a new religion?
After the collapse of his successful business, the Czech entrepreneur Jakub decides to take part in a secret American research project.
An ancient story from the distant future.
Awarded book
• Golden Ribbon (a Czech award, in the young adult)
• White Raven (Germany)
• Čitajuščij Petěrburg (Russia)
Reviews
“Well worth your time. Vopenka tells a dystopian tale about hope amid chaos, and about the drawbacks, and the consolations, of faith.”
The Financial Times
“Czech author Martin Vopenka tackles complex contemporary issues in his writing. My Brother the Messiah is no exception – a quietly profound story that moves slowly at a deliberate pace and stays compelling. It presents a subtle and provocative meditation on the nature of fait and hope in the face of despair and chaos.”
Tessa Chudy, Aurealis, Australia
“Vopenka’s voice is Czech yet global and his prose compelling.”
Jewish Renaissance, GB
Martin Vopěnka 