Josef Pánek
Josef Pánek (b. 1966) received his masters and PhD in Prague, then worked in Norway and Australia before returning to the Czechia He debuted with a collection of short stories, entitled The Opal Digger (2013). His second book, Love in the Time of Global Climate Change (Argo, 2017) won the Magnesia Litera, Czechia’s highest literary honour in 2018. So far, its rights have been sold to 12 countries. Argo has also published his novel To Them, I Am God, a swirling stream of obsessive thoughts and existential disillusionemen, all unfolding in Bergen: a city where it’s always gloomy and dark. His latest novel, Portrait of a Scientist in the Post-Industrial Society has attracted media attention from both critics and readers alike.
THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS LITERARY AWARD – BEST WORK OF FICTION (2018)
Portrait of a Scientist in the Post-Industrial Society
April 2025, 192 pages
Available material: English sample, English synopsis
A gripping, provocative, and darkly ironic manifesto for anyone disillusioned with the contemporary world of science
When a brilliant astrophysicist’s groundbreaking discovery is rejected by the very system that should be celebrating it, he walks out of a prestigious conference and takes refuge by a decaying Dublin canal – drunk, furious, and determined to expose the rot at the heart of modern science. What follows is a raw and intellectually piercing account of knowledge in a society obsessed with money, status, and polished appearances.
With razor-sharp wit and existential urgency, Josef Pánek shows how research is driven by money and media attention, while true insight often gets lost along the way. He blends personal experience with cultural critique and philosophical reflection, asking: What happens when truth no longer matters?
Portrait of a Scientist in the Post-Industrial Society is an uncompromising and deeply human statement – and a call to believe, once again, that both science and the world can still hold meaning.
“Would Einstein even get the chance to discover the theory of relativity today?”
– Kverulanti
Why This Book Stands Out
- A clever fury against a culture obssesed with image, virality and institutional recognition; is directed not only at the system, but at the broader spiritual emptiness of Western society; a place where success is defined by visibility, where ambition replaces wisdom.
- A singular, uncompromising voice that challenges the norms of scientific and literary discourse alike.
- A sharp social critique and generational statement on the collapse of intellectual values.
- An experimental, expressive style rarely seen in Central European fiction.
“A brilliant, flowing, angry rant about the state of today’s science, art, and the world in general.”
– Host podcast
