Ludvík Němec

Love on a Stranger’s Grave

Láska na cizím hrobě Láska na cizím hrobě
Láska na cizím hrobě
Druhé město, 2013, 252 pp
Prose

The artistic processing of sexuality in history went through periods of relative freedom or tabooisation and criminalisation. We are currently on a wave of unlimited freedom to portray anything however we like. Without allegories. There is much more bad taste than good taste. Ludvík Němec (born in 1957) attempts to reverse this negative ratio in five short stories in which he merged men/dreamers with a recurring character practising the oldest profession in the world, a woman called Darja. And he does so using exceedingly clever, witty, subtle and inventive language. The traditional theme, dealing with a long, ‘tiring’ relationship by having a short fling, may be a revolt against ageing as well as an accidental collision. Ludvík Němec has written five books of prose (his debut, Nejhlasitější srdce ve městě was published in 1978) and a number of radio plays; he also has a long- term contract with the Czech Radio Brno.

Praise

“While reading Němec’s new book you have the same feeling that you get when reading the good-old short stories by Chekhov, Bunin, Hemmingway, Hrabal and Kundera’s Směšné lásky (Laughable Loves), which were evidently very influential. It is, therefore, very “hand” written, based on polishing and engraving. The genre of ‘mini novel’ itself comes from a place outside of today’s time and space.”

—Petr A. Bílek, Respekt

Láska na cizím hrobě
Druhé město, 2013, 252 pp