The most important Czech novel of the 1990's, this modern epic captures the emotional dislocation that followed the Czech's new-found freedom in 1989. Winner of the Egon Hostovsky Prize for the best Czech book of the year, it was the only post- -Velvet Revolution title included in a writers' and critics' list of the 100 Greatest Czech Books of the Century. A phantasmagoria of story-telling, including dreams, horror, intrigue, romance and satire, it expresses the feelings of a generation. 'A first novel the way 'The Tin Drum' and 'Midnight's Children' were first novels' - Newsday