Nekonečný zázrak / Jak člověk stvořil knihy a jak knihy utvářejí člověka – Vallejo Irene (2021)

The book belongs to the same category as a spoon, hammer, wheel, or scissors. We cannot imagine life without this fascinating artifact that people invented so that words could freely operate in space and time, and without which civilization would not exist. Viktor Frankl had a manuscript containing his long-term research confiscated upon his arrival at Auschwitz, and the desire to write it all again kept him alive. Frankl later stated that although many intellectuals were in worse condition than other prisoners, they paradoxically endured life in Auschwitz better. They were able to isolate themselves from the terrifying surroundings and retreat into their own inner world. Their imagination and faith in the power of words saved them. Books help people survive great historical catastrophes as well as personal tragedies. Books are our conscience, the salvation of the desperate, the inspiration of lovers, a source of liberating laughter. When we compare something old with something new – for example, a book with a tablet, it seems that the new has a greater future. In reality, it is the opposite. The longer a certain object or custom has been among us, the greater its future. The newest usually disappears first. Even many years from now, there will still be chairs and tables, spoons and scissors, but perhaps tablets will no longer exist.