Marta in the Year of the Intruder
E-book, Czech
Marta in the Year of the Intruder
" You don' t read Petra Soukupová' s children' s books, you experience them, " says the editor
Marta' s parents think she' s smart and could become something, especially if she studies and doesn' t slack off. The younger sister thinks of her, that it is a puffed up woman, older brother, that she still acts like a child, and Robert, her work colleague, that it is not to be thrown away. Grandma doesn' t recognize her anymore. But this book is not about how others see Marta, this is her diary.
Nineteen-year-old Marta Žáková successfully graduated from high school, was accepted to college, and fell in love while working a summer job. Everything seems to be fine, exactly as Marta imagines it. However, an unexpected turn of events turns her life upside down and the promising student suddenly becomes " the world' s biggest loser. "
The dynamics of the story are enhanced by the author' s typical language, the corresponding thinking and expression of a young girl. After all, the author is past the age of adolescence enough to be able to write about it with a clear perspective, but at the same time she is still young enough to be able to sensitively and convincingly capture the experiences of a nineteen-year-old girl.
Petra Soukupová
(born. 1982) is one of the most successful contemporary Czech writers. She has published four books for children and eight books for adults, which have earned her numerous awards and nominations. For her debut K moři / To the Sea (2007) she received the Jiří Orten Prize for talented authors under thirty and was nominated for the Magnesia Litera Prize and the Josef Škvorecký Prize. Her second book, the short story collection Zmizet (2009), won the Magnesia Litera Award in the Book of the Year category and was also nominated for the Josef Škvorecký Award. Her children's books Bertík a čmuchadlo (2014) and Kdo zabil Snížka? (2017) was listed in the prestigious White Ravens catalogue of the best children's and young adult books from around the world. A unique blend of children's adventure story Who Killed Snowman? The third children's book, The Club of Strange Children (2019), and the novel in short stories, The Things It's Time for (2020), both crossed the 10,000-copy bestseller mark shortly after their publication. Marta in the Year of the Intruder (2011) and Under the Snow (2015) were also successful. At the end of 2022, the novel Nobody is Alone was published, followed a year later by the children's book Strange Children and the Sad Cat - a loose sequel to The Strange Children's Club. Petra Soukupová's books have been translated into more than ten languages. In addition, she has written several screenplays based on her books (in 2018, the film Na kratko (For a Short Time) was based on a short story from her book Zmizet (Disappear)) and she also works as a dramaturge.
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