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Empty Streets

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( 109 ratings, 14 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Empty Streets by Michal Ajvaz explores an intricate, surreal narrative set in a city rendered strange and mysterious by the presence of enigmatic signs and symbols. The protagonist's journey unravels various layers of hidden realities and parallel worlds, challenging perceptions and inviting readers into a labyrinthine adventure where the ordinary intersects with the extraordinary. This thought-provoking tale captivates with its rich imagery and philosophical undertones.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy imaginative narratives where reality blends seamlessly with the surreal. It offers a journey through mysterious, dreamlike landscapes filled with intricate details and philosophical musings, creating a unique and immersive reading experience.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

On the outskirts of Prague, a painter stumbles across a mysterious wooden object and notices it's strange shape reproduced in various places around the city. He realizes that it holds the key to uncovering the truth about the disappearance of a young girl. A thrilling fantasy and a philosophical meditation on the search for meaning in modern life.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In a junkyard on the outskirts of Prague, a painter stumbles across a mysterious wooden object. As he begins to notice the object's strange shape reproduced in various places around the city, he realises that it holds the key to uncovering the truth about the recent disappearance of a young girl.

His attempts to understand the meaning of the object bring him into contact with an array of characters, and the stories they tell him widen the vortex of uncertainty that the object has opened. Will the increasingly intricate web of clues eventually lead him to the truth?

Empty Streets is both a thrilling fantasy and a philosophical meditation on the search for meaning in modern life.

Series: Czech Literature Series

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  • Jouney to the South
    In a small village on the southern coast of Crete, the narrator meets a young man who tells him a history of his journey which took him from Prague as far as the Libyan sea. It is a voyage to uncover mysterious deaths of two brothers: one was murdered during the ballet performance, the body of the second was found...
    Paperback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Empty Streets
    In a junkyard on the outskirts of Prague, a painter stumbles across a mysterious wooden object. As he begins to notice the object's strange shape reproduced in various places around the city, he realises that it holds the key to uncovering the truth about the recent disappearance of a young girl. His attempts to understand the meaning of the object...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Empty Streets by Michal Ajvaz is praised for its engrossing narrative, which encourages rereading and deeper exploration. Reviewers highlight the novel's creativity and celebrate its delightfully unusual and imaginative qualities.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781564787002

Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 12 May 2016

Country: United States

Imprint: Dalkey Archive Press

Contributors:

  • Translated by Andrew Oakland

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Weight: 250g

Pages: 360

About the Author

Michal Ajvaz was born in 1949 in Prague, his father was a Crimean Karaim and his mother was an Austrian Czech. He published eight works of fiction and also an essay on Jacques Derrida, a book about Edmund Husserl's philosophy, as well as a book-length meditation on Jorge Luis Borges called The Dreams of Grammars, the Glow of Letters, and a philosophical study, Jungle of Light: Meditations on Seeing. He was awarded Jaroslav Seifert's Prize and Magnesia Litera Prize. His books of fiction have been published in fifteen languages.

Andrew Oakland's translations include Radka Denemarkov's Money from Hitler, Martin Reiner's No Through Road, Michal Ajvaz's The Golden Age, and the autobiography of architect Josef Hoffmann.

Also by Michal Ajvaz

View all
  • Jouney to the South
    In a small village on the southern coast of Crete, the narrator meets a young man who tells him a history of his journey which took him from Prague as far as the Libyan sea. It is a voyage to uncover mysterious deaths of two brothers: one was murdered during the ballet performance, the body of the second was found...
    Paperback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

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