The Back of Beyond: Travels with Benjamin

The story of a middle-aged man, who--despite his professional success and affluence--lacks fulfillment. After the tragic death of his wife, he is left alone with his eight-year-old son...He quickly realizes that if he wants to succeed in the role of single parent that has suddenly been thrust upon him, he has to change fundamentally. So, he takes his son and sets out on a journey to what he dubs the Back of Beyond. Without telling anyone of their plans--in fact, without any plans to speak of--father and son travel from city to city, from country to country, assembling a travelogue that includes not only depictions of exotic places and colorful encounters, but also an inner journey, deep into the human experience and the complexities of living in a post-Communist world. With its unique blend of sensitive and suggestive language, The Back of Beyond--Travels with Benjamin is a stylistic gem, rendered in seamless translation and appearing here for the first time in English.

Writer, traveler, and publisher Martin Vopěnka is one of Czech Republic’s leading literary personalities. He received a degree in Nuclear Science and Physics at the Czech Technical University, and worked for Prague’s Psychiatric Research Institute before launching his publishing company, Prah, in 1990 and turning fully to literary pursuits. Among his numerous books published in English for children and adults are ＂Ballad of Descent＂ (Northwestern University Press, 1992) ＂The Fifth Dimension＂ (Barbican Press, 2016), and ＂My Brother the Messiah＂ (Barbican Press, 2021).

Anna Bryson was born in Birmingham, UK in 1955. She studied modern history at Oxford University, where she went on to obtain a doctorate in history (1984). Her history book, From Courtesy to Civility, Changing Codes of Conduct in Early Modern England, was published by Oxford University Press in 1998. In the field of fiction, Anna Bryson translated Martin Vopěnka’s ＂Ballad of Descent＂ (Northwestern University Press 1992), and has continued to work with him over the years on several books, including his ecological fairy stories, ＂Tales from the Windy Mountains,＂ and the novel, ＂My Brother the Messiah.＂