Josefův pivovar – Svozilová Zlata (2015)

This novel recounts the life of Josef Svozil, founder of the Litovel brewery. The manuscript was discovered by the descendants of Zlata Svozilová (1921–1994) only after her death, roughly fifty years after she wrote it. It took shape in the 1950s, when the founder’s granddaughter apparently found an escape in memories from the bleak reality of collectivist frenzy and class revenge, of which the Svozil family became victims. The novel makes an almost adventurous journey back to the mid-19th century, focusing on the life of the author’s grandfather, Josef Svozil (1847–1931). He embodied the ideal of an enterprising, enlightened man and politician of his time. He organized public life, founded a brewery and became a member of the Reichsrat in Vienna. Alongside his exceptional personality, the novel vividly portrays a turbulent family history and life during a period when Czech society was gaining political, cultural and entrepreneurial strength. In the second part, the author focuses on the dramatic wartime lives of two cousins, the more sensual and headstrong Renata and the ethereal Káťa. Their stories intensify the novel’s central conflict between private family dramas and the forces of great history. The contents are in Czech.