Bylo nás pět – Poláček Karel (2019)

The new edition of the legendary book by Karel Poláček about a group of five friends, whose adventures always end in some mishap, brings Poláček's text for the first time accompanied by illustrations by Ondřej Sekora. The notoriously well-known and timeless stories of Petr Bajza, Čeňek Jirsák, Eda Kemlink, Antonín Bejval, and Pepik Zilvar from the poorhouse are full of children's laughter, mischief, and amusing anecdotes that have not aged and still entertain both young and old readers today. Karel Poláček and Ondřej Sekora were contemporaries, and although their direct authorial collaboration was rare, their professional paths constantly crossed and intertwined. Due to the tragic outcome of Poláček's life as a result of World War II, the novel was published only after the author's death, without illustrations. It was only later, at the request of the editorial office of the weekly Svoboda, that Sekora took on the illustration of the book 'Bylo nás pět', specifically its magazine edition. The story was published from July 1954 to March 1955, with each part accompanied by one or two illustrations by Sekora. These illustrations were forgotten over time and are now being published for the first time as a whole in book form.