Ferdinand

Ondra IT company director

The book

Ferdinand pulled me in at once and did not let me catch my breath for a long while. It is a story that touches not only its hero but the reader too, because Ferdinand's hunger for fulfilment and his disappointment with what he achieves force you to think about your own life and values. What really got me was the author's ability to write in a way that makes some passages felt on your own skin, as if you had lived them. The book is dreamlike and at times surreal, yet unbelievably personal — you identify with Ferdinand and his inner conflict easily. It leaves a deep impression and it makes you think, not only about the hero's life but about your own.

Radka systemic psychotherapist

The book

Bold, authentic, deep, adventurous… that is Ferdinand, an original piece that will entertain and grip you from beginning to end. You may recognise yourself in it, or someone among your friends; it may frighten you one moment and move you the next. What I know for certain is that you will not be bored, and on top of that you will glimpse the secret of our human nature and of the overwhelming desires whose fulfilment pretends to be the point of living, but…

Listening to the audiobook, Elíša drew me instantly into his imaginary world while keeping me firmly standing in the reality each of us perceives from a slightly different angle. This story has a rare ability to speak to every listener and reader — everyone finds something in it. The combination of slang and romanticised artistic language creates an unusual yet remarkably compelling style that holds attention and tension from the first page to the last. The ending is pleasantly surprising and leaves a sense of catharsis that makes you think the story over again and live the hero's dilemmas with him. The breathtaking finale closes the demanding chapters that came before it and brings a feeling of peace and fulfilment. It was a pleasure to work on this.