Discover Grandhotel, Ještěd, and Jaroslav Rudiš!

This book is truly remarkable, and its success speaks volumes about the talent of Jaroslav Rudiš, who hails from Turnov. He pursued studies in German, history, and journalism at various institutions in Liberec, Prague, Zurich, and Berlin. Rudiš has written numerous novels in both Czech and German, along with radio plays, theater performances, film scripts, essays, and musical works, all of which explore the intricate history of Central Europe. As an independent author, he divides his time living in Berlin and Lomnica nad Popelkou, nestled in the picturesque Bohemian Paradise.

His debut book, titled Heaven under Berlin (2002), garnered attention, winning the prestigious Jiří Orten Award and being recognized as the Most Beautiful Book of the Year. This was followed by a trilogy of comic novels known as Alois Nebel, created in collaboration with the artist Jaromir 99. The next notable work was the novel Grandhotel, which features both whimsical and harshly realistic metaphorical writing.

Rudiš’s narrative mainly revolves around the protagonist, the thirty-year-old Fleischman, who struggles with a lack of self-identity, even forgetting his own first name. He only comprehends the world of meteorology, like clouds, pressure systems, wind currents, and altitudes, and his story unfolds within the mountain hotel in the transmitter at Jested, a remarkable architectural achievement by designer Karel Hubáček from the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Grandhotel is a narrative filled with melancholy yet airy lightness, expressed through poetic language. It reflects not only on Jested and the skies where clouds mingle with human aspirations but also on Liberec, the town that keeps holding Fleischman back from escaping its limits. He yearns to rise into the sky and break away from the hotel and his own troubled existence.

While writing this book, Jaroslav Rudiš also created the script for a film adaptation of the same name, which was released in 2006 and directed by David Ondříček and Mark Taclik. Notably, Rudiš even made a cameo appearance in the film as one of the waterlogged German tourists. If you choose to follow in Fleischman’s footsteps, reaching a height of 1,012 meters, you can conclude your journey with a stunning balloon ride and even tie the knot with Fleischman high above the clouds.