Smrt pozdě odpoledne a osm dalších milostných příběhů – Volný Zdeněk (2025)

This collection of nine dramatic stories by Zdeněk Volný, a master of the short form and a longtime co-author of the Through Czech History series, confirms that love and death are inseparably intertwined like sunlit noon and the darkest midnight. His tales explore the fundamental human passions of love and betrayal, desire and hatred. They lead readers not only into familiar surroundings, but also to the mysterious atmosphere of the ancient English university town of Cambridge, the parched Australian semi-desert, where every ill-considered step can have fatal consequences, and a tropical Pacific island scorched by the sun, lashed by monsoon rains and plagued daily by malaria. The stories reveal humanity’s age-old, futile longing for immortality, beauty and eternal love, but also greed and the ruthless pursuit of wealth and power. Rather than relying on banal realistic settings, the author intensifies his love stories and conflicts through remarkable circumstances and relationships. Merciless confrontations drive the protagonists to the very edge of physical existence, forcing them to fight not only for love but for their lives.