An overview of Czech books published for children and young people between 2000−2011.

What we have learned from animals about constructing our dwellings is revealed in this book, which can be looked at through two filters using different-coloured plastic sheets.

Jiří Dvořák examines how animals and people create their homes. Burrows, nests, webs, excavated holes, castles, skyscrapers, palaces – all of these utilize what nature has to offer. The author of this interactive book has tried to show that the way in which people’s dwellings are constructed does not significantly differ from the way members of the animal kingdom create theirs, and that animals have also inspired people in the way they create their homes. The book has not only been designed to be read and looked at, but also to be examined more closely: the green plastic film shows the world of people and the red one the world of animals.

Nothing is more adventurous than real-life human stories – the brave people smuggler known as the King of the Šumava in an excellent cartoon adaptation.

The first part of a planned comic-book trilogy inspired by David Jan Žák’s bestseller Návrat Krále Šumavy (The Return of the King of the Šumava) from 2012. This biographical novel about the people smuggler who outsmarted the security services has been adapted into a fast-paced detective-style comic book. Although the King of Šumava, Josef Hasil, originally wore the uniform of the National Security Corps and guarded the border, following the “Victorious February” of 1948 he went over to the other side.

As well as the dramatic events behind the creation of the Iron Curtain and a setting in the Czech “Wild West” of the Šumava border region – a world of border guards, agents and people smugglers, interrogations, remote forest locations and penal camps – this is also a story of enduring human values, bravery and betrayal, and bonds between people. But here the heroes are human – not cardboard cut-outs. Their weaknesses make them more relatable to the reader.

Read an excerpt from the book here.

Topol’s highly awaited new novel captures the Zeitgeist, reflecting on love and death, religion, family, friendship, survival, modern politics, the Russian threat, Europe and populism.

Moor, a middle-aged actor, travels around Europe with his wife Olga and their two kids. They attend theatre festivals, where they perform their plays. Being confronted with a growing resentment towards foreigners, Moor decides, after decades spent abroad, to return home to the Czech Republic and settle down. After being caught by accident in the midst of the Ukrainian-Russian war they finally reach their home region on the banks of the Sázava river, south-east of Prague.

Back home, Moor is accused of murdering his father-in-law. He escapes the law and together with his two sons embarks upon a kind of road trip through the region. They go on foot, by car and by boat and encounter a series of local people, stories and events. We meet clans, hookers, loan sharks, gypsies, hoodlums, drunks, telltales. All leading up to a grand finale including a wedding, a brothel, the police and a Russian tank.

A Sensitive Person has its own specific dynamic and rhythm. Full speed grotesque episodes alternate with witty and vivid dialogues; poetic descriptions contrast with the vulgar, explicit speech of the protagonists. It is a story about ordinary people who are not inhibited by any political correctness and who try to find their way in a community, in a world that is changing. The novel reflects the European society of today, and the characters in Topol’s novel are rough people, brutal, but with a heart. They are all sensitive.

This short encyclopaedia of people poses the question of what makes humans human.

The winner of the Albatros publishing house’s competition on the theme of “The World Around Us” impressed the judges with its “sophisticated concept, stylistic maturity and topical theme of the search for identity in an ever-changing world”. The author Olga Stehlíková and illustrator Nikola Logosová came up with a human “catalogue” of 62 types of ordinary people presented as a mosaic of portraits with brief texts written in the first person. The subjects introduce themselves through one specific personality trait, defining life circumstance, characteristic social role, profession or specialization, passion or interest – in short, whatever is most important to them. They all see themselves differently and have different ideas about life and the world, but whether we are hearing from those who have been able to realize their dreams or had fortune smile upon them (an astronaut, a nature lover, a writer, etc.) or those who have had obstacles put in their way by circumstances (a person with autism, a child in joint custody, a blind person) or by their own mistakes (a prisoner, a drug addict, a hardcore gamer), the reader comes to recognize that the essence of humanity lies in diversity and that everyone has their value and place in the world. This book gently encourages tolerance, respect and empathy.

About the authors:

Olga Stehlíková (1977) works as a freelance writer, editor, and critic with a focus on contemporary Czech literature. In 2018 she became the winner of the first Tvárnice Prize for Czech literary critic of the year. Her debut book of poetry, Týdny (Weeks, 2014), won the Magnesia Litera Award. Her second collection of short poems, Vejce / Eggs (Couplets), was released in 2017, along with an LP with Tomas Braun’s music. Her third book of poetry is Vykřičník jak stožár (Exclamation Mark High as a Pole, 2018). Her poems have been translated into twelve languages. She published four books for children.

Nikola Logosová (1992) studied illustration and graphic design at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. She illustrates books for children and adults as well as magazines and newspapers and she also designs posters. She has garnered numerous awards for her work: e.g. a Golden Ribbon for illustration for the book Pozor, doktor! (Watch Out, Doctor About!) by Petr Svobodný, the Most Beautiful Czech Book of the Year for her book New York zine (2017), and Window Display of the Year 2020 for her art installation in the Hůlkárna shop window in Brno. She was voted Illustrator of the Year 2019 at the annual Czech Grand Design awards.

Distinctive prose about everyday sufferings and pleasures and the passing of loved ones.

In this collection of prose pieces, the autobiographical narrator records seemingly everyday moments from her life and the lives of her loved ones as well as people she just sees on the street. All the subtle observations and depictions of random encounters and incidents prove that Dora Kaprálová is one of the more linguistically skilful Czech writers. Her prose is sometimes imaginative, sometimes ironic, sometimes even dreamy, but always stylistically precise and masterful. As in her previous books, the writer deals with themes such as exile, one’s relationship to home, to other people, but also the finite nature of life and the passing of loved ones. As the title of the collection might suggest, Kaprálová does not write true short stories but she rather moves freely in the literary space, sometimes switching to a reportage style and occasionally even to poetry within her prose. However, her narratives are always engaging and captivating.

This illustrated educational book is notable for its humorous objectivity and highly detailed artwork. The plot centres on a “wise cephalopod” with an interest in life on dry land who is amazed at all the things humans surround themselves with.

The main character of this large-format picture book, an octopus, decides to find out more about the life of the humans who supply it with all kinds of things in the sea: plastic packaging, broken furniture, toys, defunct mobile phones, etc. It likes reading comics and books about nature and decides to write a unique book about its adventures in the world of people. Its astonishment at various human situations is genuine and, as it were, impartial, offering a fresh perspective on people’s activities on Earth. The octopus builds itself an unusual house, attends a concert and intervenes to stop xenophobic behaviour in a supermarket, and its house eventually becomes an oasis for those without a roof over their head. The elaborate large-scale illustrations feature wonderfully detailed artwork which wittily complements the tales of an octopus among humans.

Age 6+

Read an excerpt from the book here.

A mosaic of remarkable small stories behind watershed moments in history.

In this work of fiction, Jiří Padevět successfully demonstrates what a powerful influence little history has on the course of great history. Plausibly sketched-out situations from the lives of important historical figures – who were, above all, ordinary people – illustrate how crucial moments in history that formed chapters of later history books may have looked and in some cases did look. The book is divided into two parts: the larger one focuses on the author’s favourite period, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and the Second World War, while the other one is set after the war under communist totalitarianism. The dramatic stories are accompanied by authentic reports from the contemporary press; the juxtaposition of these two styles helps to give rise to a certain tension. At the heart of the stories is the linking up of separate events and people whose paths may or may not have crossed, as well as impartiality: the baddies are not condemned or the heroes glorified. The scrupulous presentation of facts with essayistic and literary flair takes on the character of a parable with a moral. These economical aphoristic texts with philosophical overlap and humour have a visual power. This completely different and humanly compelling view of key events in European history has earned the author a number of awards.

What if the European elites decided to leave the exhausted continent and choose “elitexit”? Would they be able to build a new, wiser civilisation?

Robert Holm, a Danish branding expert, arrives at a marketing conference in Shanghai, China. While visiting a big shopping center, he witnesses the deaths of two people. This experience shakes him deeply and Holm decides to fight capitalism and its artificial consumerist world. From now on he wants to use his expertise to improve the quality of the environment, avert global warming and motivate people to live in an eco-friendly way. With the help of social networks he manages to start a mass migration. Led by Robert Holm, the European elites leave the continent and settle in war-ravaged Syria, where they build a new civilisation based on a simple life with conservative values. This new society is shielded from the old world by a wall. But this wall is a hi-tech invention creating a mere bubble amidst the apocalypse.

A fairy tale about how one colourful feather and a child’s imagination can save the people of a small, ubiquitously grey town from an evil wizard.

One day, a dazzling, colourful bird called Phoenix wanders into a land where the people live without hope or joy. But not even the all-pervading greyness can disguise this bird’s beautiful brightly coloured feathers. Although the evil wizard’s soldiers try with all their might to destroy the bird, they are unsuccessful and he flies away. However, he leaves behind a feather which some children find, and with its help they breathe new life back into the land. A fairy tale in which the traditional struggle between good and evil is depicted as the contrast between greyness and colour. Feathers are part of the flyleaf. The book is also suitable as a first reader.

Illustrated by Vlasta Baránková

Age 6+

]]> https://www.czechlit.cz/en/book/pirko-en/feed/ 0