Nicol Hochholczerová is a Slovak author. She writes minimalist, poetic fiction with autobiographical elements. Her debut novel, This Room Is Impossible to Eat, became a bestseller in Slovakia. She was named Young Artist of the Year in 2022.
Nicol Hochholczerová was born in 1999. She grew up in Rimavská Sobota in Slovakia. She studied graphic design at the Academy of Art in Banská Bystrica, completing her Master's degree in 2024. Her short stories have won prizes in numerous literary competitions.
Her debut novel Táto izba sa nedá zjesť was published in 2021. The English title is This Room Is Impossible to Eat. The book became one of the most talked-about debuts in Slovakia. It was shortlisted for the Anasoft Litera Award. This is Slovakia's most prestigious literary prize. In 2022, the Tatra Banka Foundation named her Young Artist of the Year.
The novel has been translated into multiple languages. These include Bulgarian, Czech, Hungarian, Serbian, Polish and Ukrainian. German and Macedonian translations are underway. The Polish translation was nominated for the Angelus literary prize. This prize is awarded to living authors from Central Europe. A feature film based on the book is in production.
The English translation was published by Parthian Books in 2025. Translated by Julia and Peter Sherwood, the novel captures the disturbing progression of a relationship. The relationship is between twelve-year-old Tereza and her fifty-year-old art teacher, Ivan.
The novel is narrated from both their perspectives in alternate chapters. The story follows the two characters from their first meeting. She is twelve, and he is fifty. It continues until she becomes an adult at eighteen. He is then fifty-seven.
The bite-sized chapters offer raw yet poetic snapshots. Each one is titled according to the age of the respective character. These shifts in perspective mark the difference between the abuser and the abused. Initially, the narrator speaks in the language of fairy tales. This provides an insight into the imaginative world of a vulnerable child. The novel is both a fairy tale and an allegory.
Tereza shares her secrets with her friend Silvia. Ivan constructs memories of Tereza to keep in his bed. He covers them with sweat and tears. The novel explores how the teacher manipulates Tereza's consciousness. It shows the distortions of Ivan's mind that enable him to control her.
Photo credit: IG @nicolhochholczerova
