Země lhostejnost

The book Země Lhostejnost (Land of Indifference) brings together a complete collection of Karel Kryl's political commentaries from 1990-93. It not only repays one of the significant debts we owe to its author, but also provides a surprisingly topical and distinctive voice in the debate about the present and future of Czech society, politics, and culture. Kryl's articles show what an extraordinary and truly independent political commentator Czech and Slovak society has lost. Due to the hostility of radio and newspaper editors in the early 1990s, Karel Kryl did not have the opportunity to present his journalistic texts to a wider readership and audience. This is one of the reasons why only twenty-eight of his commentaries were written between 1990 and 1993. The reach of the regional periodicals Moravskoslezský den and Znojemsko, in which most of these texts were published, was minimal. The book Země Lhostejnost (The Land of Indifference) significantly complements the image of singer, composer, and poet Karel Kryl. It shows him as a highly political person with a broad education, wide-ranging interests, and a creative relationship with the Czech language, which he developed in his journalism like few others of his generation.