Obcování se smrtí – Bullington Jesse (2014)

American author Jesse Bullington brings a noir historical novel with fantastical and magical elements to the Czech reader. His novel, Obcování se smrtí, is based on real historical foundations – Europe at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, the fall of the Granada Sultanate, and the beginning of the Renaissance, but also the uncompromising Inquisition. The young Moorish girl Awa learns black magic through the unfortunate workings of fate and travels across Europe in search of her fortune. Talented painter Niklaus Manuel Deutsch seeks beauty in ugliness and tries to earn money as a mercenary. Alchemist Paracelsus sees many things in the human body, yet the secrets of the human soul remain hidden from him. As expected, the paths of all three characters intersect, and the plot takes an unexpected turn. The book Obcování se smrtí carries elements of the picaresque novel, is full of symbols and dark tones, often shocking. Scenes depicting necrophilia, cannibalism, lesbian erotica, or corpses after battle are not presented vulgarly, but with carefully chosen words that create a dense atmosphere, occasionally lightened by the author's sense of dark humor. Throughout Bullington's work, allusions to European realities and inspirations from other literary masters are evident. As the author himself admits, he loves Umberto Eco and always enjoys returning to the works of Franz Kafka.