Czech writer Tučková slams culture minister Ota Klempíř

Czech writer Kateřina Tučková has sharply criticized Culture Minister Ota Klempíř after his speech on Tuesday at the Frankfurt Book Fair, where Czechia is this year's guest of honor. In a Facebook post, she called his remarks about writers who emigrated to escape persecution under the totalitarian regime deeply repulsive — given that the minister himself has previously admitted to collaborating with the communist-era secret police.

Denemarková's words and the writers' success

According to Tučková, staying silent was impossible: her reaction was aimed not only at Klempíř's past, but at how, in less than a year in office, he has destabilized the country's cultural sphere. In her post she quoted writer Radka Denemarková, who addressed the minister directly on Tuesday in Frankfurt: “Ministers who destroy culture come and go, but literature remains.”

Tučková and Denemarková are among the best-selling contemporary Czech writers. Tučková's novel The Žítková Goddesses (2013) has sold around half a million copies. Denemarková's books have been translated into 28 languages, which is why she has become the main Czech face of the Frankfurt fair.

Not the first time the minister has faced criticism

Klempíř's speech came amid long-running criticism of his ministry for decisions experts consider unclear and incompetent — such as the drawn-out (non-)appointment of a director for the National Gallery. In his Tuesday speech, the minister referred to the period before 1989, even though he himself has admitted to past collaboration with the StB secret police.

Klempíř arrived in Frankfurt just as Andrej Babiš's (ANO) government announced changes to the country's cultural policy. Experts have criticized the new concept as poorly prepared and said their own comments on it were ignored.

For a long time it was unclear whether the minister would come to Germany at all: to avoid criticism, he skipped the Venice Biennale, among other events. Klempíř rarely appears at public cultural events, and when he does, he is met without much enthusiasm — he faced booing and criticism not only in Frankfurt, but also in June at the folklore festival in Strážnice.

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Source: novinky.cz