Olga Pavlova: Two plus two equals five

Born in 1984 in Moscow. She studied comparative literature at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, and works at the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. A cultural journalist and co-author of three books, she focuses on the history of global literary dystopia, including 2 + 2 = 5 (2022). In her book Jak to začalo (How It Began, 2025), she interviews Russian emigrants scattered around the world. “Perhaps this book is my attempt to gain a deeper understanding of the country I come from,” she says. “I was not looking for shocking testimonies, but for quiet ruptures. I was interested not only in the moment of departure, but also in what comes after. I wanted to know whether one loses a part of oneself when leaving—whether external freedom can be transformed into inner freedom.”