Hráči – Poláček Karel (2016)

Mariáš, a card game for two to four players, arrived in our lands with French soldiers during Napoleon's campaigns. It became popular in clubs, cafes, and pubs. Karel Poláček, who was fond of playing Mariáš, once even missed a journalistic opportunity when he rushed to a scheduled game at a café instead of responding to the sound of a nearby gunshot. It was only in the evening at the editorial office that he learned he could have been the first to report on the assassination of Alois Rašín. As a passionate gambler and an excellent observer, commentator, and humorist, he humorously and insightfully allows the main character, Jindřich Kobosil, to reminisce about his youth and past life in his Players, as if everything were primarily about Mariáš and the situations related to it. The masterfully crafted dialogues serve as a kind and understanding caricature of people who have succumbed to the charm of this game, not only in the author's time. Many sayings can still be heard in pubs over cards today, and those who have fallen for the devil's pictures will confirm that their gatherings often unfold in a similar manner.