The Labyrinth of Interrupted Encounters

Already in many previous books for young adults František Tichý has dealt with the lives of children in the Terezín ghetto and concentration camp. In »Labyrint nedokončených setkání« he now narrates polyphonically and along two different timelines the story of Pavel Lion, who lived in Terezín with his brother, and participants in a scouting programme in modern-day Prague. Two of the scouts are Marek, a Roma who lives in a home for boys and has thus experienced prejudice first-hand; and Filip, who has come out as homosexual to his friends and family and whose massive emotional burden is depicted here with harrowing intensity. When Marek finds Pavel’s diary during an excursion to Terezín, the two timelines intersect, allowing the life experiences of all the boys to overlap. The »Labyrint« is dedicated to the real-life figures of Pavel Lion (1930-1944), who died at the hands of the National Socialists, and Filip Havlíček (1999-2014), who committed suicide out of shame and fear of discrimination as a homosexual. (Source: White Ravens 2021 Catalogue)