The bar was high

The poet, meteorologist and perceptive observer depicts his wanderings through the wilderness in his extensive autobiographical prose, The Clique Was High. He captures ordinary yet fascinating details that remain undiscovered by others. In rich and dense language, he brings to life a world between plants and animals that is distant to most people. At the same time, he stays within the ordinary reality and openly describes visits to his sick mother and bedridden elderly. He meets wanderers, loners and fools, prays, sleeps outside, walks through the woods in all weathers. His approach revives the tradition of romantic disruptors - from the classic Karel Hynek Mácha to the mystic Bohuslav Reynek. The text flows freely like Szpuk's beloved clouds and is interspersed with short poems - haiku. The book is accompanied by the author's photographs, taken with his own camera obscura.
Roman Szpuk became widely known as one of the Šumava loners in Aleš Palán's book Rather go mad in the wilderness.

The bar was high is loosely based on The Hoarse Chorales (nominated for the Josef Škvorecký Award) and the critically acclaimed book And tie your shoelaces.