We live in a time when perhaps more than anything, we need a gentle touch. Not sentimentally tearful, but cheerful, a bit mischievous, which sometimes takes the form of a light slap to help us recover and see the world and our lives with sober yet enchanted eyes. Without anger, blame, or lamenting the circumstances. This is precisely what the essays of journalist and writer Radka Kvačková offer us, selected from columns published in recent years in Lidové noviny. They address a wide range of 'human matters.' With humor, subtle irony, and self-irony, they observe marital and friendly relationships, describe various surprising encounters, and the paradoxes of human communication. They are not foreign to a bit of venom and provocation – as a healthy spice. After all, the author always remains 'part of the game' in such moments, putting herself at risk and offering a rare remedy in the form of a forgiving reassurance: 'yes, that's how it is among people.' A large part of the essays takes place against the backdrop of the beloved Malá Strana, some touch on 'big' issues (the COVID epidemic, occasionally political themes), but always from the perspective of a lightly self-ironic observer with a long-standing detachment that allows for the rare tolerance we need today. This readable, entertaining book is meant for anyone who enjoys...
