The Sufferings of a Devoted Scoundrel

Alexandra Berková

Alexandra Berková: The Sufferings of a Devoted Scoundrel

Original title: Utrpení oddaného Všiváka


Genre: novella


Publisher:

Petrov 1993


ISBN: 80-85247-48-8


Pages: 112


Foreign editions:

Finnish (Taifuuni, 1997, Eero Balk), Slovenian (Apokalipsa, 2004, Tatjana Jamnik)

Summary


This short work is a pleading interpretation of the author’s uncertainty and the chaos of the modern world , a world which demands to be lived in, but which every day can bring a fresh cause of pessimism: it is not just that human suffering can never really disappear, but that the reasons for it are ever more absurd and grotesque. The book is a general reflection on the human condition, and its numerous biblical motifs and indirect references to the mystery of Creation give it something of the nature of contemporary apocryph. Berková handles her story on two levels that differ even in graphic form so as to be clearly visually distinguishable. One level tells the stories of the Knave and the other deals with experiences, opinions and comments of a girl who is “just fine, just over forty”. It has to be said, though, that these worlds are not at all easy to penetrate...


Reviews

"The Suffering of a Devoted Scoundrel is a story written on the lush meadow of the Czech language, full of faith and poetry as well as hopelessness and the rudest words. It is a challenge to stop and look over one’s shoulder."
sv, Knihy

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