Brány mrazu a jiné prózy – Sidon Karol (2013)

With the book Gates of Frost and Other Prose, Karol Sidon returns to Czech readers after years as an outstanding prose writer who addresses serious themes in his texts: the meaning of life, religiosity, and the complexity of human relationships; yet his prose never lacks humor. The book offers texts that have not yet been published in book form in the Czech Republic. The introductory short story collection Deaf and Blind, containing the stories "Trnava Cemetery," "The Inevitable Story," and "Those Who Survive," has an autobiographical tone. The story "Who Do You Want to Beat the Dog" touches on the relationship between so-called "reason" and "madness" through the description of the cooperation of the Jewish community with Nazi authorities. The story "Mommy Sings the Second Voice" is a charming confrontation of the author's childhood imagination with adult reality: the fantastical merging of both worlds, triggered by the death of the mother, who belonged to both seemingly separate lives of the main character, reaches the brink of absurdity. The highlight of the book is the novella "Gates of Frost," which explores the theme of searching for the meaning of life, reflection, solitude, the complex finding of interpersonal relationships, and faith. Whether Karol Sidon remains firmly grounded in his texts or enters the world of fantasy, he never ceases to be an author of painful sincerity, deep questioning, and beauty...