Old varieties

The audiobook Alte Sorten (Old Varieties) – a novel by Ewald Arenz read by Jitka Ježková. Translated by Tereza Jůzová. Directed by Jakub Lejnar. A novel about how easily you can lose control over your life and how difficult it is to get it back. Sally and Liss – two women who couldn't be more different. Sally is about to take her final school exams, but the only thing she longs for is peace. Peace from everyone and everything – from unsolicited advice, suggestions, restrictive rules and nagging adults... And so she decides to run away. The taciturn Liss lives alone on a farm amongst fields and vineyards, looking after the vast property. From their very first meeting, Sally realises that Liss is different from other adults – she doesn't force her to do anything, she doesn't judge her, she doesn't ask suspicious questions. Liss offers Sally a place to stay for the night, and one night on the farm turns into an indefinite stay. The girl helps Liss with the farm work and, amongst the old pear trees and beehives, discovers the magic of ordinary things. However, her host is not nearly as strong as she seems, and perhaps in the end, it won't be Sally who needs saving. EWALD ARENZ Ewald Arenz (born 1965) is a German writer, playwright and teacher. He writes novels, short stories and columns, organises literary events and runs a literary workshop at the theatre in Fürth, where he lives with his family. His novel Alte Sorten (Old Varieties) was shortlisted for the Independent Booksellers' Award in 2019. JITKA JEŽKOVÁ She studied at the acting conservatory and the Department of Cultural Theory at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University. She first appeared on the television screen in 1994 in the TV series Prima sezóna (Prime Season). Soon after the launch of the private television station Nova, she acted in the series Nováci. After that, she appeared mainly in television productions. She has been a guest performer at the Činoherní klub (Drama Club), the Palace Theatre and the Divadlo v Řeznické (Řeznická Street Theatre). Many viewers know the actress, or rather her voice, mainly from dubbing, where she is very active. In 2004, she received the František Filipovský Award for Best Female Actor in Dubbing for the film The Theory of Flight. For Audioteka, she has narrated, for example, the Naslouchač (The Listener) and Božská města (Divine Cities) series.