The Goddesses of Žítková

A novel from the author of the bestseller Vyhnání Gerty Schnirch. A fascinating story about the female soul, magic and a forgotten part of our history.

High in the hills of the White Carpathians, women endowed with exceptional abilities have lived since time immemorial. They knew how to heal and help with all sorts of troubles, they could offer advice in times of hardship, and it was said they could also see into the future. They were called goddesses, and they passed their art down from generation to generation. Dora Idesová is one of the last of the Žítková goddesses' lineage.

However, she did not learn their art; she studied ethnography and decided to write an extensive academic study about them. In the late 1990s, she discovers an StB operational file in the Ministry of the Interior's archive in Pardubice, targeting an internal enemy—her aunt, the goddess Surmena. As Dora unravels the fates of the Žítková women, she is surprised to find that although she did not become a goddess herself, she too is an integral part of the mysterious tradition.

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"The author stays true to her meticulous historical approach. This can be an advantage, but for some readers, it might come across as too academic. (...) Despite these reservations, Žítkovské bohyně is not only an excellent read but also an encouragement to take a trip to the Carpathians."
Klára Kubíčková, MF Dnes