Jan Čep (1902–1974), whom Šalda called "the poet of the morning gaze," is one of the prominent Czech prose writers of the twentieth century. His departure into exile after February 1948 and the spiritual orientation of his work led to Čep's writings being silenced during the communist regime. The multi-volume edition of the author's prose and essays, prepared by Bedřich Fučík and Mojmír Trávníček, could only be published in samizdat and was not available in book form until after 1989. The Czech Library presents Čep's shorter prose from all periods of his work, from his book debut "Dvojí domov" in the mid-twenties to the exile work "Cikáni." The stories often focus on extreme situations in the lives of seemingly ordinary rural people. However, they are far from descriptive realism, utilizing shortcuts, subtle hints, and aiming for a spiritual dimension of existence. Selection and commentary by Tomáš Kubíček, text preparation by Marie Havránková.
