Na pouti - Biografický cestopis – Kouřil Vladimír (2023)

The name of music journalist Vladimír Kouřil (* 1944) is so well-known that readers do not need an introduction: an official of the Jazz Section, a political prisoner, the author of many books on music, especially jazz, two collections of short stories, and a novel. And of course, he is also an active organizer of jazz music events and an tireless promoter. Now, Vladimír Kouřil comes to readers with his memoirs. He titled it 'On Pilgrimage' with the subtitle 'A Biographical Travelogue.' These are memories presented in a very personal way. In eight chapters ('On Pilgrimage,' 'Landscapes of Life,' 'Josef, Son of Jan,' 'Kneading the Soul,' 'My World Wars,' 'Avitaminosis,' 'Autumn Diary from Spring,' and 'On the Branch'), the author does not hide his prose talent based on detailed sketches and his ability to place the events of his own life within a broad framework of landscape, lineage, culture, society, and history. The chapter 'Avitaminosis' is the most eventful, detailing the dramatic circumstances of the Jazz Section's activities, its persecution, and the author's imprisonment. In addition to Kouřil's life experiences, the book contains much about music, which is for him the main and most inspiring gift that gives meaning to human life and fills it with beauty. Vladimír Kouřil is a witness whose voice is worth listening to. Read...