Smíchov Tales

A BRILLIANT LITERARY TRIBUTE TO THE GIANTS OF CZECH LITERATURE, JAN NERUDA AND JAKUB ARBES...

The Smíchov suburb at the turn of the twentieth century – this industrial corner on the left bank of the Vltava is slowly becoming an important part of the future Greater Prague. The city pulses with daily life, while hidden spots in darkened alleys, workshops and tenement balconies tell their own stories. Who is hiding under the pumps of the Petržilka water tower? What secret does the grave at Malvazinky cemetery reveal? Will the killer from the Kinský gardens stop before striking again?

Readers catch a glimpse into the lives of a master stonemason and students at the Prague polytechnic, and meet medical students at the dissecting table and in lecture theatres. Another story enters the dusty world of an elderly Jewish lady and her memories, before spending a few days with a mysterious baker and a pair of old maids. Elsewhere, a troubled clerk or a pretty but flighty maid guides you through Smíchov.

Set against the backdrop of six Smíchov arabesques, we follow the fate of eight-year-old Růženka Horká, who meets a mysterious magician. Who is this man, and why do all the threads of these individual stories lead back to him?