Jezero

(The Lake)

Magnesia Litera Award 2017

European Union Prize for Literature 2017

EBRD Literature Prize 2023

About the Book
Original TitleJezero
First Published2016
PublisherHost, Brno
Pages186
Rights Sold
PolandAfera – Wroclaw
EgyptSefsafa – Cairo
MacedoniaTri Publishing – Skopje
BulgariaIzida – Sofia
Italy Miraggi – Turin
BulgariaBalkani Publishing House – Sofia
Serbia Heliks – Belgrade
Croatia Ljevak – Zagreb
SwitzerlandKein & Aber – Zürich
The NetherlandsDe Geus – Amsterdam
SpainTres Hermanas – Madrid
SloveniaCankarjeva založba – Ljubljana
HungaryMetropolis Media – Újlengyel
LatviaPetergailis Publishers – Riga
DenmarkJensen & Dalgaard – Copenhagen
JapanKawade Shobo Shinsha – Tokyo
RomaniaEditura Aramis – Bucharest
LithuaniaSofoklis – Vilnius
United KingdomParthian Books – Cardigan
GreeceVakxikon – Athens
Korea Marco Polo Press – Sejong City
FranceCambourakis – Paris
AzerbaijanStrauss – Baku
Finland  Kairaamo – Helsinki

Nami grows up on the shores of a toxic, dwindling lake (the Aral Sea) in one of the former Soviet Republics. We follow his search for his mother through a narrative that combines elements of both a coming-of-age story and a road trip. He first arrives at the capital, where he finds work in the harbour and the dirty sulphur industry. Later on, he moves to the small village where his mother resides, where he learns that he was born out of rape. His mother doesn’t want to return with him, so he sets off once again to live out the final years of his adolescence in his home town. All of this is set against a backdrop of political and religious tensions between the poor exploited local population, Russians and oil tycoons.

 The novel is a raw account of life in a devastating land and the harsh, primitive circumstances under which people fight to survive. This is also reflected by the strong, outspoken language and the naturalistic depiction of events and feelings. Love, rape, strife and survival are the key words for this novel.

“‘The Lake’ is a bewitching, beguiling, terrifying and shocking portal into a world gone wrong, a realm in which tenderness and courage come up against brutality and indifference, in which fellow-feeling and communality are undercut by self-interest and folly – and in which small gestures nonetheless keep the flame of hope alive. It is utterly propulsive, immersive and unique, and deserves to become a European classic, to be read by many generations to come.”

— Toby Lichtig – Jury chair EBRD Prize

“Bellová’s gripping depiction of life under forced occupation shows how despite the utter bleakness of their reality, people like Nami can still find ways to keep on going, as did many under communism and so many do now under other oppression. In the face of evil, there is nothing more radical than preserving one’s humanity.”

— Apofenie

“‘The Lake’ is a highly original search for descent, for an unknown father and mother, written in a compelling tone with plenty of understated, ‘witty’ humour, a powerful read about a world adrift. For the truth, Nami will have to delve into the past, literally and figuratively.”

— Tzum

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