About the book: 2008 / It is difficult to completely win the hearts of readers in the country that gave the world Karel Capek and Jaroslav Hasek. Ivan Kraus (b. 1939) succeeded. In modern Czech literature, his name has become synonymous with smart, good humor, and even usually picky critics advise: “Don’t waste money on psychoanalysts, better read Kraus.” Actor, mime, puppeteer, prose writer, playwright, Kraus is a master in all his guises, but above all In all, he is a master of subtle irony, which, in his opinion, always coexists with melancholy. The author's first book in Russian includes stories from collections published in Kraus's homeland in 1999–2007.