Escape to Hell

Pavel Vencl studied philosophy, but the study itself did not mean much to him. Life has always been the most useful school for him. He sails through it as a professional gambler, boxing with his friends in a club in Žižkov and many girls have passed through his arms. March 15, 1939, the first day of the occupation, finds him at his lover Katy's. He would have liked to have avoided the subsequent events in occupied Czechoslovakia, but he soon discovers that this is not possible. He decides to resolve his situation by escaping. He leaves his mother, his friends and his lovers behind and crosses the Alps, first to neutral Switzerland, then to France, England and his journey continues across the ocean, where he also meets the love of his life, Inéz. Because of his conflicted nature, he often finds himself in very dramatic situations, experiencing first-hand the various forms of brutality, whether from state authorities or directly from fellow prisoners. He's cynical, arrogant, despises people and doesn't hesitate to kill, yet because of his intelligence, Overhead, with a sharp sense of humour and a certain amount of luck, he manages to survive in every situation... Escape to Hell is a unique book in Czech literature, comparable only to the best European and world novels. A book packed with action, excitement and a cascade of unpredictable events that draw the reader into the plot and leave them breathless until the last line.