Holčičky – Váňová Magda (2018)

Revenge, Little Girls, and The Lion's Courtyard are three novellas that make up a new book by Magda Váňová. The first one is more about the opportunity to repay a fateful injustice, but this leads to a vicious cycle of revenge from others and only destroys the one who truly suffered the injustice. It is wiser never to think of revenge, as it is unjust in its consequences. The second novella features many little girls, thanks to a teacher who occasionally picks out a shy girl, buys her gifts, corrects her shortcomings, and ultimately shares with her the secret of photographs capturing her transformation into a woman. The photographs are his greatest pleasure, costing him time and money, and he even covers his back with a childless marriage, but eventually, his twisted idyll spirals out of control, and were it not for his wife, who once admired him as a little girl, his obsession would end in scandal. The third novella, The Lion's Courtyard, is an eloquent example of the attraction of opposites and a guide to useful tolerance and good relationships with partners. The story of Gabriela and Marta can only be told with humor and exaggeration. Alongside their jointly prosperous restaurant, which they built from scratch, they also share a husband and a lover.