Viktor Špaček

The book contains short stories modelled by the sensitive hands of a sculptor. Although the author can describe vivid characters as we know them from our lives, these short stories-portraits are not just about likeness. They also aim to reflect certain attitudes people take in particular situations. The characters are mostly depicted from the inside, from the depths of their thoughts, in which they, successfully or unsuccessfully, handle their problems and face their traumas. They often cannot see beyond the tip of their nose, which, naturally, does not prevent them from being convinced of their truth. The solutions they choose tend to be logical and, one might say, “normal.” What is also normal, however, is that madness is not far away.

Published by Host, 2022

Viktor Špaček (* 1976) is a Czech poet, prose writer, and visual artist; he studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. His texts were published in The Best Czech Poems 2011, 2012, and 2013 anthologies. In 2015, he also published a short story collection, Something Circus-like, and a poetry collection, Unclear Dimension. He works as a freelance editor, proofreader, librarian, and creative writing lecturer. His short story collection, A Clean, Modest Life, won the 2023 Magnesia Litera Award for Prose.