The debut novels of Czech writers Alena Machoninová (Hella, Maraton, 2023) and Marek Torčík (Memory Burn, Paseka, 2023) are linked not only by the literary prizes they both have won or by the vast reader interest they have aroused. Both novels deal with the theme of memory and the search for ways to narrate the self and others. Both have been given the popular label of autofiction. Is the autofiction narrative a manifestation of the emancipatory powers of literature, or does it also bring with it the promise of empathy and therapy? What meaning does this label have for the authors themselves? Literary critic Blanka Činátlová discusses the limits of (auto)biographical writing and literary memory with Alena Machoninová and Marek Torčík.