Wolves, Folklore, and Family: Reading and Discussion with Zuzana Rihova
March 5 | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Acclaimed Czech writer and scholar Zuzana Říhová joins Dr Kathryn Murphy (University of Oxford) for an informal evening of readings and discussion of her novel Playing Wolf, a contemporary tale set in the Czech countryside.
A couple move from Prague with their young son to a remote village in the hope of repairing their failing marriage. As they attempt to settle in, they encounter a closed community shaped by unspoken rules, strange coincidences, and fragments of local folklore. Using the familiar tale of Little Red Riding Hood, subtly woven into the narrative, the story illuminates themes of vulnerability, trust, and hidden menace.
Blending psychological insight with folkloric resonance, Playing Wolf explores how myths and inherited stories continue to influence behaviour and relationships in the present day. The conversation will reflect on the role of folklore and fairy-tale motifs in the novel, and on how quiet tensions within families and communities can slowly transform lives.
Zuzana Říhová studied Czech language and literature and comparative literature at Charles University in Prague. She has published a collection of poetry, Pustím si tě do domu (I’ll Let You in My House), and a novella, Evička (Little Eve).
Alex Zucker’s translations include novels by Magdaléna Platzová, Jáchym Topol, Bianca Bellová, Petra Hůlová, and Tomáš Zmeškal. He has also translated plays, subtitles, young adult and children’s books, poems, philosophy, art history, and an opera.
Kathryn Murphy is Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oriel College, Oxford, where she writes about and teaches seventeenth-century literature. Her book, Robert Burton: A Vital Melancholy is forthcoming from Reaktion. She studied Czech literature at the University of Glasgow, and reviews Czech fiction for the Times Literary Supplement.
Admission: £5 (+ Eventbrite fee)
Book Here
Zuzana Říhová will also appear in Oxford the day before, on Wednesday 4 March 2026, for a special event at The Queen’s College exploring poetry in translation alongside a reading from Playing Wolf. The Oxford evening will include discussion, a book signing and refreshments. Free entry. More info
