Tajga station
April 2008, 334 pages
Available material: German translation
Foreign editions: Germany (Luchterhand), Poland (WAB Publisher), Slovenia (Cankarjeva založba)
A caleidoscope of stories and people, all in some way connected to one spot in Siberia
Different time periods, cultures, countries and ethnicities converge as a Danish amateur ethnographer travels deep into Russia shortly following World War II, ending up in a small town in Siberia. He films and photographs the locals, who live in poor relations with nearby tribes. He never returns home. Fifty years later, a second young Dane travels to the same place to found out what had happened. As in a detective story, we gradually discover the fate of his countryman who had vanished so long time ago.
JOSEF ŠKVORECKÝ AWARD (2008)
“Tajga Station is a novel one can lose himself in, amidst the spacious realm of the Siberian steppe.”
— Deutschlandradio Kultur
“Petra Hůlová is a remarkably full-grown author. As any born storyteller she masters the full spectrum of emotions. Het novel changes effortlessly from comic to horror, from tragedy to a burst of laughter. Hulova traverses moods, tempo and perspective. Reading her book is a joy.”
—Die Welt