Writer Ondřej Sysel wins the Knižní klub Literary Award for his novel "Chlast"

Writer Ondřej Sysel has won the Knižní klub Literary Award with his debut novel "Chlast" ("Booze"). The decision was made by a jury comprising literary historian and critic Pavel Janáček, journalist and Reflex weekly editor Kateřina Kadlecová, novelists Jana Šrámková (jury chair) and Klára Vlasáková, and poet and prose writer Jonáš Zbořil.

The novel follows the coming of age of a teenager named Jan — a promising footballer growing up in a mining town in the early 1990s. At home he's surrounded by a hot-tempered father, a gravely ill mother, and an ever-present bottle of alcohol. Jan suffers beatings from his father and bullying from his teammates, but what torments him most is his own fear. Whether the protagonist will finally rebel against his circumstances is the central question of the book, written in vivid, economical prose on a theme that, sadly, hasn't lost its relevance.

Who is the author

Ondřej Sysel was born in 1982 and has spent almost his entire life in a small village in the Vysočina region. In Prague, he graduated from the Faculty of Journalism at Charles University and the screenwriting department of FAMU, Prague's film school. For many years he has written dialogue for the TV series "Ulice," having previously worked there as a dramaturg as well.

Stories accompany him across every field of his creative work — he writes them down, narrates them aloud, and even turns them into code: under the pseudonym Syslí Nora, Sysel created a computer game about prehistoric times called Winter Hunts Us. The novel "Chlast" is his first work of literature.

"Chlast" was published by Euromedia Group, runs 264 pages, and has a recommended retail price of 399 crowns.

Around Prague, based on reporting by prazskypatriot.cz