Píseň jedovatého stromu – Kingsolverová Barbara (2024)

It is the year 1960, and there is unrest in African countries. The village of Kilanga, hidden deep in the Congolese jungle, appears peaceful until the arrival of American preacher Nathan with his entire family stirs the life of its abandoned mission. He is to serve here for one year, and his goal is to plant the seeds of faith among the locals. However, he clings so stubbornly to his truths that he cannot communicate with the villagers, and not only that: he fails to maintain a connection even with the adolescent members of his own family. Gradually, it becomes clear that beneath the humble obedience of his wife and four daughters simmers a resentment towards the despotic head of the family, as strong as the Africans' resistance against European dominance. The narrative, which concludes only after 1990, intertwines the voices of five female protagonists: each is different and takes a distinct stance on the tragic story of their family – yet despite their fundamental differences, a bond of mutuality ties the women together, stronger than the pressure of dramatic circumstances. A colorful story full of humor and pain, in which the lives of ordinary people are brutally impacted by war and through it, a dirty political game, evokes astonishment at the beauty and merciless harshness of African nature. Equally intensely, the story reflects awe at the cultural and linguistic richness of both...