1946 New York, Doctor Marek, a Czech doctor, is looking for a room. He intends to complete his scientific writing here. He asks and requires precious little to make his life in New York, but even that is too much. Misunderstandings and misinterpretations plague his every step, forcing him to change lodgings constantly. Even the simplest word or gesture is taken the wrong way, with grave consequences. Even when Marek does nothing at all, people find him strange. His constant, painstaking efforts not to upset or annoy his hosts, as over and over again he tries his best not to be a nuisance, only get him into trouble. The only person who seems to understand him is the mysterious woman he speaks to on the phone on several occasions. Is it his wife? A supernatural entity? Or death itself? It remains unclear.

The novel’s title is symbolic. Dr. Marek is not a stranger because he lives in a foreign country. He would be a stranger any place where there are people who seek to fill the emptiness of their lives with others. Marek eludes them, he is like the Wandering Jew, bringing misfortune and disillusion to those around him against his will. His search for a room becomes an anabasis, a Sisyphean ordeal without ending or fulfillment. As Marek’s life entwines with those of the people he meets, their lives are shaken and tossed about.

“‘Stranger Seeks Apartment’ proves Egon Hostovský was one of the greats of Czech literature”

— De Morgen

“‘Stranger Seeks Apartment’ is without a doubt, a captivating narrative about an extraordinary era. And just because our present time is not much short of uncertainty and turbulence, the novel at times feels fresh and undated.”

— Mappalibri

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