Controversies, tributes, provocations

The time when poets were the centre of public attention is long gone; even Vrchlický and Nezval wouldn't have the media fighting over them today, but we don't need to regret it. Anyone who wants to can enter the world of poetry without hesitation, read and read, and worship whomever they wish in this infinite universe of metaphors, ideas, or wordplay.

What Jan Burian wrote in the chapter about poets—specifically about Pavel Šrut—could also apply to the singer-songwriters, the central figures of the book Polemics, Tributes, Provocations. The days when thousands of people flocked to summer festivals to see them have probably passed, but they are still worth remembering. Those who were there will reminisce thanks to Burian, while for others, the book can serve as a guide to who is still worth listening to today.

Everyone who reads this book is guaranteed to have a smile playing on their lips, because, as the author says: “If humour is missing as a spice, the food is good for nothing.” And this book is certainly not lacking in spice.