A botanist accepts an order from a rich collector to smuggle an obscure, offically extinct flower from Japan to Europe in this story about plants and identity.
Literary fiction
This apparently straightforward business deal turns into a nightmare after the botanist, Kryštof Warjak, is arrested upon his arrival in Prague. He is interrogated in connection with two ruthless murders since the only thing they have in common is Kryštof. Someone is after him, following his footsteps from Tokyo determined to act.
More information in Bulgarian here.
Praise
“For a person with a poetic vision, the transition to prose tends to be difficult and presents numerous pitfalls. However, with The Mistake it can be said that the promising poet [Šindelka] has become a prose writer for the young generation who is truly worthy of the name”
—Petr Vaněk, iLiteratura
Information about the original Czech edition
Other selected published translations (5)
Hiba Hungarian
Aberrant English
Der Fehler German
Klimaatverdriet Dutch
Anormal Turkish