As the title and the illustration on the cover suggest, this is a collection of humorous stories that will entertain and delight us, even with the slightly bitter undertones that some of them have. This collection of short prose pieces holds up a mirror to us and sometimes even makes fun of the things around us, which are often more deserving of tears than laughter.
Satire is the most powerful weapon, and author Pavel Šmidrkal uses it skillfully and effectively. He has, so to speak, experienced everything firsthand, and as a keen observer of his surroundings, he has transformed the inspiration drawn from everyday life into a dozen witty and insightful stories. Nothing human is foreign to him, and he can even make fun of serious topics, such as the current demolition of monuments or the renaming of streets.
The witty book is humorously illustrated by the well-known artist and humorist Miloslav Martenek, who forms a well-coordinated authorial duo with Pavel Šmidrkal, as we have seen on several occasions. For example, at the popular South Bohemian art gallery "Záliv," where Martenek presented Šmidrkal's drawings and illustrations in his capacity as curator.
We can only applaud both of these talented individuals for their wonderful book, "From the Puddle Under the Gutter," and warmly recommend it to our valued readers, especially in these not-so-cheerful times. The collection of humorous prose stories was published and printed by Nová tiskárna Pelhřimov.
Curriculum Vitae
Pavel Šmidrkal was born on December 3, 1953, in Tábor. He is a talented and hardworking publicist, art historian, gallery owner and curator, and writer. He attended a technical secondary school and, in the years 1980-82, studied cultural education and art history.
From 1977 to 2009, he worked in various positions in the field of culture at military institutions. Among other things, Šmidrkal also organized exhibitions of visual art. Since 2010, he has been the curator of the Obrazárna Želeč gallery, the Galerie Záliv Lázně Bechyně gallery, and the small Galerie Tudy k badatelně at the Military Central Archive. Pavel Šmidrkal has organized hundreds of exhibitions and published dozens of catalogs for them. He has also written numerous publications about visual artists in the unique Pelhřimov edition "Probuzená paleta."
He has been collaborating with the media since the mid-1970s. Pavel Šmidrkal has published his articles and contributions in publications such as Mladá fronta, Beseda, and the then-Jihočeská pravda. He entered the literary world with short stories in magazines such as Československý voják, Květy, and the popular satirical magazine Dikobraz.
He has written four books to date: the collection of short stories "Barbráci," "Je to fuč," fairy tales "Co šustí v listí," and the humorous collection "Z louže pod okap." In the "Probuzená paleta" edition, he is one of the core authors, having written a dozen art historical works, such as "Jirko Trnko, měl jsem tě rád," "Karol Molnár" – a painter of three countries, or "Linie touhy" – the nude in visual art and photography.
Pavel Šmidrkal has received numerous awards, including the Order of Merit of the Minister of Defence for his work in the field of culture.
Ivan Černý
PHOTO - archive, gnews.cz Translation: legacy (English)
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