Jan Douša – Bob Krčil (1952–1992). Žít, jako by šlo o život (Live Like Your Life’s On the Line)

#1 min Josef Moucha

20. 10. 2025

Jan Douša, Bob Krčil (1952–1992): Žít, jako by šlo o život (Live Like Your Life’s On the Line), Torst, Prague, 2024
Jan Douša, Bob Krčil (1952–1992): Žít, jako by šlo o život (Live Like Your Life’s On the Line), Torst, Prague, 2024
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Using insights gained from archival research and interviews with dozens of firsthand witnesses, photographer and FAMU instructor Jan Douša has produced an inspired and inspiring portrait of a remarkable figure of Czech exile culture. Krčil’s focus on poetic observations was formed by the consequences of a fateful decision: to preserve his dignity, he left Czechoslovakia, occupied by the Soviet Army, before he even turned eighteen. He first found refuge in Sweden, then later in the USA. This compelling biography places his globetrotting legacy into a cohesive context alongside many previously unknown details. The editor has supplemented the artist’s original prints with new reproductions, over two hundred in total. The graphic design of Zuzana Lednická has also helped make this an exquisite optical experience.

Text: Josef Moucha

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Josef Moucha

(1956) is a photographer and teacher at the Institute of Creative Photography of Silesian University in Opava. He has published essays Zážitek arény (The Experience of the Arena, 2004), a novella, Mimochodem (By the Way, 2004), essays Obrazy z dějin fotografie české (Images from the History of Czech Photography, 2011) and two picture books, Válka za studena / Fotografie ze základní vojenské služby v Československé lidové armádě (Serving It Cold: Photographs from Basic Training in the Czechoslovak People’s Army, 2017) and Doličné okamžiky (Incriminating Moments, 2018).

#49 Talk Together

This issue explores language – its forms, possibilities, and limits. We look at how we communicate in the digital space, how the language of artificial intelligence changes our notions of creativity, and how visual images can replace words. You will discover why language is never neutral and how it shapes identity, creates inequalities, and opens paths to liberation. The issue features a reflection by bell hooks, the artistic practice of Eszter Magyar, projects documenting the Roma community in Brno, and visual essays by Claudia Larcher and Tabor Robak. The magazine presents language as a tool of communication, power, and resistance and invites you to reflect on what it truly means to talk to one another today.