Artem Čech Knihy

Ukrajinský spisovatel Artem Čech byl povolán do armády v roce 2015 a strávil na Donbasu v zákopech téměř rok. Po návratu do civilu napsal sbírku miniaturních povídek či esejí Bod nula (2017) jako reflexi všeho, co viděl a zažil. Jedná se o úvahy o sobě samém, intelektuálovi z hlavního města, jenž je ze dne na den vržen do prostředí, které by si sám nikdy nevybral, a sbližuje se s lidmi z naprosto odlišných sociálních bublin. Výřezy každodenní reality, válečná absurdita, blízkost smrti, šílenství, ale i nečekaná přátelství a drobné radosti skládají dohromady mnohobarevný obraz života vojáka.

The narrative follows the journey of a Ukrainian writer and military serviceman, exploring themes of personal growth and resilience amidst the backdrop of conflict. Awarded the 2021 BBC News Ukraine Book of the Year, it presents a raw and candid bildungsroman, blending elements of a picaresque tale that captures the complexities of living in the shadow of war. Through its vivid storytelling, the book delves into the impact of external strife on individual lives and aspirations.

Who are you? – sometimes asks the young Tymophiy his injured by the distant war enemy and friend, the tormentor and mentor Felix. Who am I? - asks an almost adult autobiographical Tymophiy at the end of the novel. The path from the first question to the second is inevitable for the hero of any novel about becoming. In case of Artem Chekh, upbringing in the shadow of repulsive experience of someone else's war, which suddenly turns out to be a moral and physical preparation for his own, although we will not find it in this novel. But, perhaps, we will find all those children's and youth initiations, through which we ourselves had to break through to a completely different than expected adult life.