The directory «Plots»

Olbracht Ivan
(1882—1952)

Olbracht was an influential Czech author between the two world wars whose espousal of communism made his masterpiece, Nikola the Outlaw, required reading for all Czech students during the Soviet period. Published in 1933, the novel tells the story of World War I deserter Nikola Suhaj, a Ruthenian peasant whose sole desire is to live in the mountains with his beloved Erzika. When circumstances force him into banditry, Nikola acquires a reputation as a local Robin Hood who kills only in self-defense and robs only the wealthy. This robust novel is full of folktales and folk wisdom. What makes it an uncomfortable read is its blatant anti-Semitism. Nikola is an outlaw less by volition than because of the maneuverings of a local Jewish wine merchant who covets the Suhaj land but is afraid to confiscate it while Nikola lives. Olbracht paints a portrait of a hypocritical villain who prays daily, all the while plotting Nikola's death. The venom with which everyone, including the author, regards the Jewish community frighteningly foreshadows the coming Holocaust.

Czechoslovakia, 1957, Ivan Olbracht