The Leaning Church

The subtitle of the book is a succinct summary of the fate of this former pastoral village that became a boomtown thanks to coal mining, only to be wiped off the map a century later, also in the interests of coal mining.

Today, nothing remains of the striking buildings and the soaring cathedral. Only the leaning church remains, jutting up from the barren landscape like a warning. The book begins with the great mining tragedy of 1894 that severely affected the lives of everyone in the region. Among them are the protagonists of the book, whose turbulent destinies we follow for the next quarter of a century. Barbara, Julka and Ludwik represent three completely different stories - yet their fates intertwine at many points and create a composite picture of half-forgotten times, the hardships of which are near unimaginable to readers today.

Each character faces life's challenges in their own way: some endure them patiently, while others try to grasp the opportunities thrown up by the tumultuous times. Yet, history intervenes repeatedly and mercilessly - sometimes turning the efforts of an ordinary person to dust. And sometimes not.

Inspired by real events, many of which have not been represented in literary form before, the narrative moves at a dramatic pace and is recounted so compellingly that the action plays out in cinematic style before the reader's eyes, exposing a part of Central European history that has been hidden for the whole of the past century.