Ota Pavel pod povrchem – Kaczorowski Aleksander (2020)

Ota Pavel’s life embodies the fate of a Central European in the twentieth century, showing how great events shape an individual’s destiny without that person having any control over them. More than anything, Pavel wanted to become a writer, and he succeeded. Although he never achieved fame or wealth, he became a successor to the great tradition of Central European Jewish literature represented at its height by Franz Kafka, Egon Erwin Kisch and Max Brod. At the same time, he remained a thoroughly Czech writer. Polish journalist Aleksander Kaczorowski captures the varied story of Ota Pavel and his family in a vivid, reportage-like style. Through his personal commitment, he has uncovered previously unknown facts and connections, gathered new testimony from witnesses and conveyed the atmosphere of places associated with Pavel’s life and work, including the famous Death of the Beautiful Stags. Readers will appreciate this fresh view of Czech literature and culture from the outside, seen from the perspective of the country’s northern neighbours, where Czechs have long been among the most popular nations.