Morana – Cimplová Aleksandra (2018)

The debut of Serbian translator and Czech studies scholar Aleksandra Cimplová successfully combines elements of a thriller, psychological novel, and love story. The environment in which the main character Lana moves is diverse and often exotic; although Lana comes from Serbia, she also visits Cairo or the Middle East and frequently returns to her family in Prague. Thanks to her adoptive father, she becomes part of the Brotherhood during her adolescence, which aims to make the world a better and safer place. The author portrays the complex structure of the heroine's personality through other characters present in Lana's inner world. While Teona represents the cold weapon through which Lana fulfills her tasks, Jan Žižka symbolizes the warrior with whom the heroine shares a belief in higher goals and the courage to fight against a stronger enemy. The central motif of the novel is death, Morana, who not only takes those we love but also liberates from pain and suffering. Against the backdrop of a thrilling story, the author has managed to capture not only the complex development of the main character's personality but also, thanks to her knowledge of many cultures and countries, perfectly described the mentality of various nationalities.