El deber

Prague, 1939. Josef Rada, husband of Marie and father of young medicine student Edmund, is an upstanding, efficient public servant. He doesn’t have hobbies or friends, nor is he interested in politics; he completely dedicates his life to his family and his work. But his small, comfortable world is blown up, almost literally, by the German invasion and its collaboration with an old childhood acquaintence of his, Fobich. This portrait of patriotism in the face of Nazi occupation does not degenerate into pathos or rhetoric. The novel’s effectiveness comes from the character of Rada, believable for his behavior, which is at first antiheroic and shaky, crafted with knowledge of the political reality and given a masterful literary treatment. Originally written in 1943, El deber demonstrates particular importance to the political landscape during which it was created.