Návrat Krále Šumavy - Román o Josefu Hasilovi – Žák David Jan (2012)

A biographical novel about Josef Hasil, the elusive smuggler whom the StB itself referred to as the King of Šumava, is based on his own memories, testimonies of witnesses, and archival documents. It is the most extensive literary reconstruction to date of the almost unbelievable story of a man who, after the war, initially helped guard the border in the police uniform of the then National Security Corps, but after February 1948 became its most feared opponent. In addition to the espionage-political background, the novel also presents the stories of Hasil's numerous family and his fateful women. The book thus captures not only an exceptional human fate but also the dramatic events associated with the emergence of the infamous Iron Curtain and is a tribute to all the men and women who bravely stood up to political arbitrariness and tyranny. A comic trilogy based on the novel has been created. "So far the best Žák's novel faithfully shows the great story in which document intertwines with fiction. A readable, powerful, authentic work." (Lidové noviny) Josef Hasil (1924–2019) was arrested in October 1948 and subsequently sentenced for illegal smuggling to the West. After escaping from a labor camp, he began working for the American intelligence service as a walk-in agent in Bavaria. In Šumava...