The Mole, a mythical creature closely linked to the nature reserve, inhabited by cheerful people in colourful sweaters, spends his days singing, swimming in the river Mízivka and having casual conversations with stones. Sometimes, for fun, they blow clouds that then rain down on the surrounding landscape. But his quiet life changes when he meets Bear (who acts just like a normal person), an artist from the Weird Quarter.
He uses his stories to introduce him to life in the big city, money and fame. After Bear's sudden departure, Krtník feels a kind of emptiness inside him for the first time - he misses his friend. His dissatisfaction is soon exploited by the two-headed Záškvara, who awakens in people the desire for fame and profit and forces them to work constantly. She takes advantage of Krtnik's longing and bad mood and, with the help of a young artist named Madla, who also succumbs to Zashkvara's eloquence, she plunges him into the endless business of cloud production.
She takes him to the city, where she turns him into a trained Mango monkey. The mole loses all joy and gradually ceases to be himself. Can he resist the Starchild and return home?
In her book, Tereza Ščerbová has created a simple fairytale image of contemporary society, in which the rhythm of everyday life is determined by money and the desire to become someone we are not. Her original illustrations perfectly capture both the mystique of the mountain nature reserve and the wildness of Krtník's original home, and the anxiety and anonymity associated with the big city environment.
Gabriela Michálková
ŠČERBOVÁ, Tereza: Krtník. Brno: Host, 2016.
The review was created at the Department of Journalism of FSV UK under the supervision of PhDr. Jana Čeňková, Ph.D.
