Michal Viewegh

The Mafia in Prague

Mafie v Praze Mafie v Praze
Mafie v Praze
Druhé město, 2011, 340 pp
Prose

It seems like the summer in the city will be all but boring. In Prague 11, somebody clandestinely tracks and attacks opposition politicians and civic activists who are protesting against the planned development of Trojmezí. The attractive stockbroker Diana from the financial group Patria is blackmailed by the Russian mafia and the interior minister Stanislav Langross precipitatelydischarges the former lobbyist Darek Balík from the witness protection programme. Balík is hiding materials that could threaten several Czech politicians, especially the deputy defense minister Šesták.

Journalists from the daily broadsheet MF DNES suddenly have plenty to write about. The infamous Prague godfather Mord is forced to unexpectedly return from his yacht in Croatia while hit man Ras receives another “task” from his Příbram bosses. Thus begins the latest book by the most popular Czech writer. After ten novels, two short story collections, three novellas, two diaries and feature story volumes, two collections of literary burlesque, several film scripts, a theatre play and a fairy tale, Viewegh has written his first crime story. As is often the case with Viewegh, even this time it is far from a leisurely read.

I wanted to write a sprightly and witty detective novel that would – in contrast to other less ambitious crime stories – also depict a dangerously faithful picture of Czech reality and become its mercilessly acrid satire,” explains Michal Viewegh.

Mafie v Praze
Druhé město, 2011, 340 pp