A particularly poetic guide for all railway people...
There was not much missing and Czech and German literature could have been one talented writer poorer. Jaroslav Rudiš had always been drawn to the railway, but because of an eye defect he was not eventually taken to the "blue army" - unlike his grandfather, a switchman, his cousin, a train driver, or his uncle, who served as a train dispatcher and then stationmaster. Unlike locomotives, however, old love does not rust, and so rails, trains and stations became leitmotifs in his literary works, including the comic book Alois Nebel and the award-winning novel Winterberg's Last Journey. And since the author's fascination with railways goes hand in hand with an enormous amount of knowledge and kilometres travelled all over Europe, it was probably only a matter of time before Rudiš came up with his own guide to its use. The colourful narrative of journeys and meetings in the carriages of international fast trains and breathless locales takes place in Italy, Scandinavia, the Balkans... And yet there are also a number of domestic episodes, inviting Czech listeners to experience their own railway adventures.
A remarkable autobiography, a love letter to the railway and a guide to European history shrouded in smoke. The book with the stamp of a German bestseller promises a first-class ride!
