Sto let s Betty – Oswald Debra (2026)

Meet Betty, an extraordinarily ordinary woman, a wonderful storyteller, a courageous feminist, endlessly curious and incredibly old. On the eve of her hundredth-birthday celebration, Betty tells us her story. Born into a poor family in pre-war London, she seizes the chance to begin a new life elsewhere after all she has endured and emigrates to Australia. On the ocean liner, she befriends three people who profoundly influence the course of her life: Pearl, a kind-hearted girl who can always be relied on; Athena, an idealistic Greek woman; and Leo, a German Jew who has lost his entire family to the war. Over a century marked by social upheaval, Betty takes us to an Australian suburb in the 1950s, the front lines of anti-war protests and the women’s rights movement in the 1970s, the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, and to London, Sydney and Mexico. This Czech-language novel is about a strong, intelligent woman born too early to use her talents without constantly having to fight for everything. It explores the strength of motherhood, the family we build for ourselves, and how the determination to live fully, with all its joys and hardships, can lead to a life beyond our wildest imaginings.