Some moments pass quietly, while others leave a deep impression

An interpreter joins a Czech orchestra on tour in Japan, a trip that takes an unexpected turn. The wife of a wealthy businessman is planning a celebration for her husband in Calabria, but a misunderstanding with a taxi driver leads to surprising consequences. A teenager is returning with her parents and aunt from a funeral in a Czech village; on the way, they run out of gas—and suddenly an elegant stranger appears. Someone, sometime, somewhere…

We meet the protagonists of Bianca Bellová’s short stories at the moment when something significant is happening in their lives. It is just a moment, a fragment of a story whose beginning we do not know, and sometimes we do not even find out how it ends. Bianca Bellová skillfully draws readers into the story and, even within the short span of a short tale, once again demonstrates her linguistic flair and stylistic finesse. Anyone who immerses themselves in her unmistakable world will be rewarded with a whole range of emotions, as well as humor, and at times, a horror-like atmosphere.

“All twenty-two stories can be described as short and to the point. The author herself says she likes stories that strike like a branch in the undergrowth and leave a mark. I agree, because BB writes with such intensity that you truly feel her emotions firsthand. And she doesn’t waste any time—within a few sentences, she pulls you into colorful microcosms and doesn’t let go. As an excellent storyteller, she wastes neither time nor space on verbal fluff. She writes economically, and thus her prose is fresh and highly readable.”

— Vlasta

Translations