A Thousand Eyes
E-book, Czech
A Thousand Eyes
Winner of the Deník N Book of the Year readers' poll in the fiction category
A novel about guilt, punishment and the desire for redemption
The fighting has ended, the roars have ceased,
from a thousand eyes, blood is released,
the murderer knows what is his,
not the noose, but life is the highest punishment there is…
Inspired by true events, the novel A Thousand Eyes is a thrilling family saga, charting the period from the Second World War to the present day. A suggestive story about the search for one's own identity, guilt and punishment, revenge and forgiveness, it takes us into the hell of concentration camps, bombed-out German cities, communist gulags, the harsh and pensive landscape of the Jeseníky Mountains, and the luxurious world of the international jet set. It brings us closer to the inner worlds of both criminals and their victims, and their indomitable desire for life, justice and redemption.
When does revenge become forgiveness? Is atonement in life worse than death? Is there a potential murderer lurking in each of us? What are the consequences of linking the post-totalitarian oligarchy with an ‘independent’ judiciary? And how do actress Kim Novak, the star of Hitchcock's Vertigo, the famous writer Graham Greene, or the Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal enter the story?
With its original narrative style, this existential drama with elements of a mystical thriller defies any clear-cut categorisation or genre cliché. Ivan Fíla has created a modern European novel – a bitter testimony to a past that still shapes our present.
The text's visual accompaniment is by Jiří David.
What they wrote about the book:
A Thousand Eyes is an exceptionally powerful novel, a monumental work without exaggeration. Ivan Fíla possesses an exceptional talent, a gift for telling a story in a captivating and readable way. His book is based on a wonderful, original idea, a perfect knowledge of the setting and the characters, including those who seem peripheral. I have no doubt that it will be a great success, not only in the Czech Republic.
- Pavel Kříž, actor and psychotherapist
A complex story, meticulously crafted down to the smallest detail, full of suspense, psychologically vivid and believable characters, and beautiful cinematic imagery. I believe it will grip readers just as it did me, and they won't be able to eat, sleep, or think of anything else until they reach the last page.
- Tereza Kodlová, literary editor
A great story, a thrilling read, a masterfully written novel. I read it in one breath.
- Miroslav Donutil, actor
Ivan Fíla
(* 1956) is a film director, screenwriter, writer and photographer. He studied film and photography at the Fachhochschule in Cologne. He later worked as a photographer in Hong Kong, Bangkok and New York, and also as a journalist and documentary filmmaker for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. His most significant works include the feature films Lea (Golden Globe and European Film Award nominations, two Czech Lions, thirty festival awards) and King of Thieves (longlisted for an Oscar, Best European Screenplay Award, four Czech Lions). His international success opened the door to Hollywood, where at the invitation of Steven Spielberg he wrote the screenplay for The Betty Schimmel Story for the DreamWorks studio. He has made a number of documentary films for foreign television stations, including Margarete Buber-Neumann – A German Fate, Steps in the Labyrinth, Fog, Václav Havel – A Czech Fairytale and others.
Specifications
Basic
Format & type of protection
Škárova 809/16, Brno - Královo Pole, 61200 Česká republika, +420 734 871 857, jota.cz [email protected]
Specifications can be changed without notice. Images are for illustrative purposes only.
