The Seven Churches
January 1999, 328 pages
Available material: English translation
Foreign editions: Germany( Rowohlt), The Netherlands (Ambo/Anthos), Hungary (Ulpius-ház), Spain (Ediciones B), Bulgaria (Stigmati), Russia (Olga Morozova Publishers), Poland (Proszynski), Slovenia (Študentska založba), Croatia (Profil), Italy (Fanucci), United Kingdom (Peter Owen publishers), France (Au Diable Vauvert), Korea (The Open Books), Romania (Allfa), Serbia (Zavet), Macedonia (Antolog), Turkey (Aylak Adam), Egypt (Al-Arabi), Ukraine (Laboratory Publisher)
The Seven Churches, “a Gothic Prague novel,” is linked to the long tradition of noir stories at the end of the last century. It incorporates characteristic features of the gothic novel: the fascination for the middle ages, a story full of suspense and the motif of initiation. This novel excels in style and narration and takes the reader on a thrilling journey through Prague along unknown and unsuspected places. Urban’s literary qualities find full expression in this book. One can read it as a whodunit, a fascinating thriller, a guide to an unknown but beautiful part of Prague or as a novel about the grandeur and menace of architecture. The book has become a bestseller in Spain and Latin America and was translated into many languages.
“With Miloš Urban an extraordinary storyteller has stepped onto the stage of Czech literature. He is able to create space, lead his characters and develop a motif. In The Seven Churches he really excels. This second novel of Urban is more elaborate and funny than his first one. He is a master at using images to create a detailed and vibrant atmosphere.”
– Reflex
“His marvelously written novel develops gradually from a horror story into a passionate condemnation of the present world, in which, alas, evil still rules: bestia triumphans.”
– Rozhled