Hynek Pallas

How was the memory of the Holocaust shaped in communist Czechoslovakia? In a personal talk, Hynek Pallas discusses his book Frimärkssamlaren – a family history marked by survival, loss and the ways in which history has subsequently been interpreted and silenced.

Drawing on his own family history, Hynek Pallas offers a personal account during this evening’s visit of Frimärkssamlaren and how the memory of the Holocaust was shaped in communist Czechoslovakia – how an anti-Zionist doctrine created new antisemitism and silence within families.

In Frimärkssamlaren, Hynek Pallas uncovers his own family history, with Prague at its centre and connections to both the USA and Sweden. It is the story of Felix Brunner, one of the leading stamp experts of his time, who manages, in an extraordinary way, to save some of those closest to him, but whose large extended family was murdered by the Nazis. It is also a story of how the official memory of the Holocaust has taken different forms throughout the history of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic.

Hynek Pallas (born 1975) is an author, cultural critic and holds a doctorate in film studies. He made his literary debut in 2009 and has published seven books, including Oanpassbara medborgare – om förföljelsen av de tjeckiska romerna and Skotten i Slovakien. In 2024, he was awarded Judisk Krönika’s prize in memory of Jackie Jakubowski “for his deep understanding of history and keen insight into the present”.