Peter Pišťanek’s debut book Rivers of Babylon (1991) has become a cult work in just two decades. The absurd, grotesque, but also cruel story of ordinary heating plant operator Rácz is a modern parody fairy tale, a mystifying and ironic testimony, especially the distorting mirror of thought and post-revolutionary conditions of the 1990s. Country simpleton Rácz with common-sense and a great desire for money and love suffers a series of coincidences and accidents and also happens to work his way up in the big city from the position of heating room operator at Hotel Ambassador to that of the Hotel director. He gains influence over a whole microcosm of profiteers, dubious traders, taxi drivers, thieves, prostitutes, underhand Money changers and former secret police agents. He thereby builds his territory and monopoly - which will also eventually control the political structure. Peter Pišťanek has left behind a legacy of a novel that uses simple, direct, objective language and humour, at times erotic, to tell the story of an end of a national myth about the good, kind, pious, incorruptible, and just patriarchs.

Running time: 1 hrs 50 mins with no interval