June 2020 – Honzlová

Michal Poppe, a member of the Red Button network, talks about the book.

In the unforgettable story by Jana Honzlová, an unframed member of the Sedmikráska song and dance ensemble, the then-beginning author succeeded where many more famous and experienced writers before and after her failed: she faithfully captured and shaped for today’s and future generations the farce called "building socialism." The novel, with strong autobiographical elements, was started by Zdena Salivarová in Prague and finished in Toronto, where she moved with her husband J. Škvorecký after 1968.

Michal Poppe stopped reading business and personal development books some time ago. He believes their wisdom can also be found in other books written much earlier. That’s why he chose fiction. According to him, this book offers, beyond life events and vivid descriptions of post-war 1950s Prague, inspiration on how to live a life based on values you won’t give up just because those around you no longer distinguish between good and evil.

Who is Michal Poppe?

Michal Poppe enjoys searching on Cocuma.cz for what separates successful companies, where people enjoy working, from those where it’s the opposite. He co-founded the zero-waste store Bezobaláč. In Slovakia, he organizes discussion meetings for entrepreneurs called Let's talk about and previously built the company Blueweb.sk.