In Search of the Essence of Place

The Essence of Place is a personal memoir of Petr Král's experiences growing up in post-war Czechoslovakia and then Paris. Armed only with his poetic sensibility, Král sets out to explore our relationship with the places that we inhabit, and with the apparently unremarkable everyday objects that often inform and enrich our lives. Král reveals not only the inner life of mundane objects and places, but also simple, profound truths about ourselves.

Born in Czechoslovakia in 1941, Petr Král was a member of the Czech surrealist movement. He moved to Paris, France, in 1968, where he has a considerable reputation as a poet and essayist.