The Czech Books You Must Read
Bianca Bellová’s The Lake: childhood memories harnessed in archetypal story
The Czech Books You Must Read
Radio Prague Int.
Bianca Bellová, is a translator, interpreter and writer with a number of highly successful books to her name. Her works include Sentimentální roman (Sentimental Novel) which describes the trials of growing up near the end of the communist regime, the novella Mrtvý muž (Dead Man), which tells the story of a traumatized family during the normalization 1970s and the novella Celý den se nic nestane (Nothing Happens All Day), a story about interpersonal relationships and unfaithfulness. All of them reveal her great narrative talent and understanding of the human psyche, impressing critics and readers alike, but it was her 2016 novel, Jezero (The Lake), which really transcended borders, winning the EU Prize for Literature and the Magnesia Litera Book of the Year award. The Lake, which has been translated into 20 languages, is a powerful archetypal story of a young boy who fights his way out of a tough environment as he searches for his roots in a fictitious land, with references to a past Soviet occupation. Daniela Lazarova talks to Bianca Bellová about her captivating novel.
Daniela Lazarová
