Bizarre times stirred up by the pandemic

Abstract

This contribution returns to the reflection of the Covid-19 pandemic in Czech prose. The focus is on the interpretation of Petr Čichoň’s novel Idu ten rybnik přikryt peřinu (2025). It is interesting in its use of the Prajna dialect and its return to the peculiar pair of seniors that we know from the author’s previous prose Lanovka nad Landekem (2020). It contains references related to Silesian identity (mental, cultural, historical, moral and ethical), the use of topos and symbols that take on new meanings in the dramatically escalating struggle for health. Čichoň’s return to the chosen theme, the conception of human and natural space, and the relationship to his birthplace bring additional current meanings to the novel. The closure of the world is an illusion that something can be prevented, and moreover, it is difficult for him to consider freethinking, but the text does not lack situational and linguistic humor. However, let's take the novel as a whole as indirect testimony to something that should not be forgotten.