Michael, you idiot

With the five short stories in this book, a previously unknown but surprisingly mature author enters the literary arena. Petr Zajíček drew his tragicomic stories from life, from the ordinary daily hustle and bustle, full of stereotypical banalities and animal needs, yet hiding fragile moments. These are moments of human connection, sparks of love, chords of accord and harmony. His characters find themselves at a point where chance sparks a long-forgotten memory of an emotional experience – a first erotic attempt, a student romance, a childhood idyll with an old-world atmosphere, a bitterly grotesque incident from a political exhibition, and it all concludes with the bitter reckoning of two life's failures, who – each in their own way – come to terms with the heartlessness of their surroundings. The author tells their stories without cheap sentimentality, in language that is often coarse, and with a sceptically kind tone.