o-letajicich-objektech

On Flying Objects

March 2004, 192 pages

Available material: English sample

Foreign editions: United Kingdom (Comma Press)

A prostitute wakes up one morning to discover that her boyfriend has tattooed obscene messages all over her body; a woman hesitantly goes back to her new boyfriend’s flat, only to find it packed with toy soldiers and intricately reconstructed war scenes; a retired pilot flaunts his wealth by keeping pets in the lap of luxury. Whether evading the expectations of adult life or finding themselves drawn to people by whom they’re simultaneously repulsed, the characters in this compilation hold a mirror up to the peculiar failings of masculinity. But as they carouse, argue, philosophize, and binge their way through the streets of Prague, they also offer the reader stark moments of insight and pathos.

The twelfth story is a photo-story by the famous photographer Miro Švolík.

„Hakl’s downbeat humor never flags, often tied to flashes of lyricism.“

— Independent

„Europe is heavy with history in these stories and the traces left by cataclysm and upheaval—these are present in these tales, and yet coexist with a kind of wry and knowing playfulness.“

— Times

Download English sample