Egon Hostovský Book order

A kind, blundering Czech engineer is pressured by the Nazi government to hand over his invention, which could be key to their military operations. He flees to Paris, hoping to sell his invention to the French government instead; yet when the Germans invade France, he is forced into hiding, and spends months in a dark, damp cellar. Alone, he dwells on his memories - of his troubled marriage, and his decision to leave his wife behind in Czechoslovakia. When he is given the unexpected chance to redeem himself, both to his wife and history, he seizes it with utter determination - even though this heroic act will be his last. A powerful and moving novel about one man's final, fatal, heroic act of resistance in Nazi France.

Tato kniha byla vydána českým nakladatelstvím Twisted Spoon Press, které sídlí v Praze a vydává díla českých a slovanských autorů v anglickém jazyce. Oficiální anotace nakladatelství: Egon Hostovský (1908—1973) was one of the most distinctive and prolific figures in Czech prose. The Arsonist, published in 1935 and awarded Czechoslovakia's State Prize for Literature in 1936, explores the world of youth against the backdrop of an eastern Bohemian bordertown being menaced by fire. The elusive nature of the arsonist and the frustration of the town's residents in identifying him, as the reality of what threatens them is encoded in wind, smoke, and clouds, reveal the emptiness and inflexibility of their lives. For it is the intangible and unknown that is the real source of their terror. And fire transforms and reshapes all that come in contact with it. This is the first English translation.