The story of light

Jan Němec's first novel deals with the life of the world-famous Czech photographer Frantiąek Drtikol, the events follow each other in chronological order. Drtikol grew up in the Czech mining town of Příbram, and witnessed the rescue operations of a mine fire that claimed many lives. He was preparing to become a painter, but because his academic results were not good enough, his father sent him to be an apprentice photographer, from where he entered the Munich photography school. Here he graduated at the top of his class, but upon returning home his independently opened studio went bankrupt, Příbram was not yet ripe for his art. He went to Prague to try his luck, where the long-awaited success came, not only did demanding, exclusive portrait clients give each other the handle, but he also easily found models for his famous nudes. He enlisted at the outbreak of World War I, but returned unharmed, and his absence did not derail his career. However, he has no luck in love, and his marriage to a famous and bohemian dancer also runs aground. Thanks to his profession, he comes into contact with many celebrities of his time (Stefan George, TG Masaryk). After the death of his sister and father, his two best assistants, who he considered his second family, also leave his life, and at this time he begins to turn towards Eastern philosophies, Buddhism, and communism, and takes fewer and fewer photographs. He sells his studio and begins to paint again.