Šaty z igelitu – Maňák Vratislav (2011)

The stories of young author Vratislav Maňák bring an unusual voice to contemporary literature. His texts usually begin with completely mundane situations: Jiří is fired from his job and wanders through the city on his way home, little Tom recounts his birthday, Jindřich sorts through his late wife's belongings. And then something happens — the reader notices that the described plot is not just an ordinary description or narration. It reveals hints and details in the text that suggest that what we are reading is not the ultimate reality — the essential events take place somewhere "beyond." However, Maňák is far from striking conclusions and gestures that would suddenly hit the reader and turn everything upside down. Instead, he subtly lays out clues from which the reader can piece together a path to that other reality. But it can also be perceived in the opposite way, as intersections of that "beyond" into our everyday lives. Just as in the story where a sick girl "exchanges" her real existence with a statue of a boy. With his style and confident narration, Vratislav Maňák shows that a talent has emerged here that has the chance to become a significant literary figure.