Monika Zgustova

Monika Zgustova is a Czech writer and translator based in Barcelona, recognized and awarded for the topics she deals with in her literary work, such as exile, identity, historical memory and human relationships in contexts of repression and totalitarianism. Her novels include The Silent Woman (published in Spanish by Acantilado), acclaimed as one of the five best novels of 2005, Valia's Night (published in Spanish by Destino, 2013), Amat-Piniella 2014 award for best novel of the year, Roses from Stalin (published in Catalan and Spanish by Galaxia Gutenberg, 2016), The Intruder (in Catalan and Spanish by Galaxia Gutenberg, 2018), A Revolver to Carry at Night (in Catalan and Spanish by Galaxia Gutenberg, 2019) and We Saw Each Other Better in the Darkness (in Catalan and Spanish by Galaxia Gutenberg, 2022). Soc la Milena de Praga (I am Milena of Prague), published by Galaxia Gutenberg in 2024, is her latest publication and is a portrait of Milena Jesenská. She has translated more than sixty works from Czech and Russian by authors such as Bohumil Hrabal, Jaroslav Hašek, Václav Havel, Milan Kundera, Anna Ajmátova and Marina Tsvetáieva, among others, for which she has received the Ciutat de Barcelona Prize and the Ángel Crespo Prize. Zgustova is a frequent contributor to El País-Opinión, among other national and international newspapers, and has premiered two plays.