Karel Hynek Mcha – svit spaten Dvok Otomar, Sntiv Josef Pepson (2026)

This Czech-language factual book presents Karel Hynek Mcha as a complex and remarkable person rather than merely the eternally youthful figure with a blissful smile represented by Myslbeks statue of lovers on Petn. It explores his changing moods and temper, but also his pragmatic side: an excellent student, an ambitious young lawyer, and a surprisingly practical merchant. Mcha was a gifted poet, prose writer, dramatist, and musician, as well as a skilled painter, confident speaker and actor, and tireless traveller with a sporting spirit. His poem Mj was ahead of its time in the Czech literary context, while his increasing restlessness and tragic, needless death make him a figure who remains compelling two centuries later. Otomar Dvok and Josef Pepson Sntiv do not provide laborious analyses of every line of Mchas literary legacy or a conventional travel book. Instead, they view him as an extraordinary human being, considering both his private life and its social context. Following Mcha through Prague, other towns, and especially the places he visited, the authors also present him as a pioneer of Czech tourism who helped map the country through images and writing. Dvok describes Mchas life from childhood onwards, places it in its historical period, quotes from relevant passages of his work, and pauses over its most interesting moments. In chapters whose titles begin with Mcha Observed, Sntiv follows in Mchas footsteps as an eager, fascinated traveller. The book focuses on the years of Mchas childhood, adolescence, and emergence into the adult world, approximately from 1810 to 1832.