František Palacký - Aristocrat of the Czech Spirit

František Palacký (1798-1876) is perceived as the Father of the Nation, a politician and the founder of modern Czech historiography, but behind this official facade lies an extraordinary man who experienced not only fame and accolades, but also setbacks and personal suffering. His fascinating life story is told in a novel set against the colourful backdrop of a revivalist society and the revolutionary events that Czech society went through in the mid-19th century.

Francis looked around the drawing-room of the Zerdahelyi residence in Pressburg. Everything here spoke of wealth and luxury - the carved furniture, libraries full of leather-bound volumes, a crystal chandelier, a tall Persian rug, fur in front of the fireplace, whose ledge was decorated with Chinese vases. From the walls, the blackened portraits of the count's ancestors looked down at him sternly, which brought back memories of an old meeting with Countess Maria Walpurga at her Kunvald residence. What's this one doing here? as if their stern faces were asking. What will Mrs. Zerdahelyi look like? he thought. His fastidious landlady was able to tell him that she was an extremely educated lady from a respectable and noble family whose daughter had died less than six months before. Francis therefore decided that she would probably look like Countess Marie Walpurga, with whom she was linked by the same painful loss of life. Just then, light footsteps sounded in the corridor, heading for the drawing room. After a while the door opened and a pretty girl peeked in. "Mr. Palacký?" She asked. "Yes," said Francis, rising quickly from the chair in which the butler had placed him. The girl smiled and entered the salon.

Hana Whitton: FRANTIŠEK PALACKÝ - ARISTOCRAT OF THE CZECH SPIRIT | Read by Marek Holý | Directed by Jindřiška Nováková | Sound, mix and mastering by Vladimír Šimůnek | Music by Karpof Brothers | Recorded in KARPOFON studio (AudioStory) | CD graphics adapted from the book by Jana Lhotáková | Production by AudioStory | Supervision by Alena Brožová | Published by Euromedia Group, a. does - Témbr, in April 2025.

The recording is based on the book:

FRANTIŠEK PALACKÝ - ARISTOCRAT OF THE CZECH SPIRIT Copyright © Hana Whitton, 2024 | Cover designed by Soňa Šedivá | Published by Euromedia Group, a. does - Ikar, 2024.