Miroslav Donutil

Spoken word is a performance-centered genre where text—poems, monologues, stories, or manifestos—is delivered aloud with musicality in voice rather than through singing. It may be entirely a cappella or accompanied by sparse instrumentation (often jazz combos, ambient textures, or minimal electronics) that frames the cadence and rhetoric of the performer. The emphasis is on language: prosody, pacing, imagery, and argument. Pieces often explore personal narratives, social critique, and political themes, drawing on techniques such as internal rhyme, alliteration, and repetition. While recordings exist, the tradition is fundamentally live, prioritizing immediacy, audience engagement, and oratorical presence.

Mluvené slovo (literally “spoken word” in Czech) is a Czech-language umbrella genre for recorded and broadcast speech-based performance: literary readings, radio plays, monologues, essays, storytelling, cabaret sketches, satirical dialogues, and author recitations. It prioritizes diction, timbre, pacing, and interpretive acting over melody or groove. Music and sound design appear as supportive elements—stings, leitmotifs, scene-setting ambiences, or comedic punctuations—rather than as the focus. Historically tied to Czech broadcasting and theatrical traditions, mluvené slovo has lived on radio, vinyl/cassette/CD releases, and today in audiobooks and podcast-like formats. Because it spans literature, theatre, and journalism, the repertoire ranges from fairy-tale narration and classic prose to satirical commentaries, documentary features, and intimate authorial reflections.