Hastrman

Told by the creature himself, this is the story of a hastrman, the water spirit of Czech folklore, who makes it his task to rid the ponds and streams of his estate of the mud that chokes them. His tale spans two eras, the nineteenth century and today. He speaks coolly and without remorse, a being without a soul who simply does what nature made him for, yet within him an animal and a beast that wants to be human are always at odds. Ecology and the question of sacrifice drive a story that borrows from fairy tales and dozens of myths.

AI-generated summary

About the book

Form

Novel

Length

399 pages in the original

Genres

Nature, Historical (assigned by AI)

Set in

Czechia

First published

2001 by Argo

Author's age

34 when first published

ISBN

9788072033478 (original)