Arizona

The first Czech tramp novel

The enchantment of freedom, with distances, nature and camaraderie, characteristic of free, unrestricted tramp life, these are the pros of the first Czech tramp novel Arizona, which was published in 1928.
Young people protesting against convention yearn for broad free horizons, for a return to nature, for an authenticity of life without which it is impossible to live fully. The plot of this evocative and readable novel, remarkable for its style, is the rebellion of the tramps against the official authorities, by which they react to the ban on the screening of cowboy films.
This is a reflection of real events, when the release of the film The Settlement of Young Dreams, which parodied the ideas of the tramp movement, sparked protest demonstrations by authentic tramps.