The Diary of Mr. Pinke

More about the book

The Diary of Mr. Pinke is poet Ewald Murrer's first full length work of prose. Written as a compilation of journal entries spanning March to December, it relates the strange happenings amongst a group of village residents, including a rabbi, a magic goat, an ancient Gypsy, and a fortune teller in a mythical region that could be the Galician countryside. The entire atmosphere is suffused with a surrealistic quality as people and beasts float across the landscape, leaving only cryptic traces of their passage. Through the combination of poetry and prose, Murrer gives the narrative a unique and personal lyricism. His use of folklore and myth both connects him to a tradition of Czech literature begun early in this century and places him amidst the new generation of Czech writers.