Diary  |  English sample translation available

Lucid and fragile, vicious and sly diary entries from the life of filmmaker, poet, traveller, mother and sensitive observer, Dora Kaprálová. Diaries have a rich tradition in 20th century Czech literature, however unlike the censored and banned authors of the past, Kaprálová perceives the colourful, chaotic, fast-paced, but most-importantly free, world of today. She travels swiftly between Berlin, Brno and Strmilov on the border between Bohemia and Moravia and meets both locals and foreigners. Her interest in their everyday existence as well as life-changing moments is always presented in concise sentences. Whether it’s her dying aunt Zuzana or a butcher in a Berlin shop — only a few details are necessary to establish a familiarity with the characters. In the poetic and humorous Berlin Diary, Kaprálová captures the depth, complexity and sadness of the world without pathos.

Praise

“The author certainly knows how to observe her surroundings and is endowed with a subtle imagination. She also possesses the main and essential quality of everyone who keeps a diary — openness.”

— Aleš Palán, Hospodářské noviny