Reviews

Review from Czech writer Marie Formáčková:

It wasn't that long ago that I asked junior high school students if they knew the authors of the Czech national anthem. One girl fished out the name of Josef Kajetán Tyl from the depths of her brain, and that was the end of the information gathering. However, the words of the hymn and the melody were put together by the students, i.e. the first stanzas.
I don't blame the students, rather I found it strange that their teachers at the elementary schools where they came from didn't think it was important to get this information into their heads. Or to parents, even if they already belong to the generation where it is possible to "Google" everything, so it is quite possible that they don't know it either.
And so I rejoiced when the opportunity landed on my computer to read a book about František Škroup, the author of the music of the Czech national anthem, about a man without whom we would not shed tears when our hockey players or football players win in some important match, let alone the Olympic Games.
The author of the biography, Markéta Dočekalová, created a remarkable work. She found her way to František Škroup through her stay in the Netherlands, where she once studied, and František Škroup said goodbye to his life there. And because the topic of the abandoned grave was close to her heart, not only did she clean and decorate the grave then, but years later she also did the same with František Škroupa's name.
Her book will take the reader to a time that we, the next generation, are only learning about, it will introduce us to his family and the people who influenced his fate, who sometimes made him happy, but quite often hurt him. A great story has been created that, although it takes place in the nineteenth century, has a lot in common with today. Yes, times change, but people remain the same. But this story has one more added value, it is not yet closed. Markéta Dočekalová would very much like the famous composer and author of our most beloved song to finally be able to return home, as he longed for. His remains have not yet been identified, but who knows how scientific methods and human will will advance. František Škroup deserves the closure of his story.
In the vast sea of today's books, one appeared that should not sink to the bottom. If I were the Minister of Education, I would certainly include it in the curriculum.

Dr. Marie Formáčková, author of more than a hundred books about Czech personalities

Review from Czech writer Hana Marie Körnerová:

Your book definitely has atmosphere and is deeply human. The prologue got me. I could feel the nostalgia of a young Czech student who feels desperately lonely in the midst of people in a foreign, damp city. Christmas homesickness...

Christmas Eve and a dark deserted grave in the middle of a sea of lights belonging only to those who are not forgotten. It resonates with the feelings of a long-dead composer who has not received recognition at home and has to seek a living abroad. It's a very powerful story. Sad because it is about vanity, about the fact that no one is a prophet at home, about the strength of the spirit that struggles with a weak and sick body. A human and powerful story that evokes emotions that an "ordinary biography" would not be able to evoke.

I was at the beginning when my daughter called me, and I read the passages that had the greatest impact on her on the phone.

"Mom, you touched me," my daughter said, her voice choked with tears. "Can you lend me the book?"

"I can't, but when it comes out, I'll buy it for you."

"Do you know that I didn't really know anything about Skraup?"

"Me neither," I admitted.

We were in the same position as the student at the beginning of the book.

"I want to fly to Rotterdam and lay a flower on his grave," the daughter said before hanging up.

(She works for Lufthansa.) I guess we'll fly there together.

That book is a success. It's in my head and I can't stop thinking about it. And that only happens with good stories. In addition, it is written in such a way that it arouses the desire to visit Rotterdam and go through the places you write about.

Hana Marie Körnerová,

author of more than 50 successful novels