Protectorate Etudes

Protectorate Etudes consists of thirteen chapters, all set against the dark backdrop of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (1939–1945). However, these etudes are not so much about Nazi repression. Even this gloomy period brought with it no shortage of tragicomic situations. Remarkable stories unfolded in the cultural sphere (especially in the film industry), and there were ludicrous investigations into minor offences (such as unintentionally spitting in front of a German official's car or beating carpets at an unauthorised time), which seem absurd within the overall monstrosity of the regime. The Nazi regime wanted to control every aspect of human behaviour in detail – including sexual life (even paid sex). Some of these situations were already circulating as anecdotes at the time (often passed on only by word of mouth), something the Czechs have always been masters of.