Kratochvil’s new novel was inspired by the events of September 11th 2001. The beast of the title is not Bin Laden or Islamic fundamentalism; it is a kind of an analogy for other forms of evil and violence, set in a horror-like story that is set in 1950’s Czechoslovakia. Although this story is a fiction, it is extremely convincing and up-to-date.
More information here
Review of the Polish editition