When you hit rock bottom, there's nothing to do but bounce upwards
Sometimes funny, sometimes harsh notes from an alcohol treatment centre. The stories of four patients who befriend each other in the difficult task of ridding themselves of their addiction, the black dragon within them.
It is chilling to watch their previous lives, when they are on the verge of death thanks to alcohol. However, this does not prevent them from experiencing the humorous stories and situations that arise from the abnormal coexistence of thirty men in a closed ward. Will they manage to win the war with the demon of alcohol?
They wrote about Smiles of Sad Men
"I didn't expect to be so affected by the book. While I don't have a problem with alcohol, I found a lot of food for thought in it. It's such a sad and funny read at the same time. I definitely recommend it: -)"
reader reviews on databazeknih.cz
"Read in one sitting. My third reading experience with the author. The Busty Man and the Story Thief was the first and I was thrilled. I very much appreciate the author's openness and honesty. "
reader reviews on databazeknih.cz
"A book that is difficult to rate with stars. The story itself is sad. There's nothing happy about alcoholism. What appealed to me is Mr. Formánek's writing style. He writes everything the way he thinks, he doesn't lead anyone around by the nose and he doesn't put rose-coloured glasses on anyone. I wish Mr. Formánek every success in his fight with the "black dragon"! And I look forward to his next book. "
reader reviews on databazeknih.cz
No alternative text for the photo!
Josef Formanek
He was born on 16 June 1969 in Ústí nad Labem. Together with Miroslav Urbánek, he founded the geographic magazine Koktejl in 1992. In 1993 he mystified the Czech media scene with the arrival of the fake Woody Allen to the Czech Republic. He was also the founder of the magazines Ocean, Everest, Phoenix, Cleopatra and Bride. He founded a school for reporters, which has been operating at Koktejl magazine for several years. As a reporter, he has travelled to more than 30 countries around the world.
He spent several months in the tropical rainforest on Siberut Island and underwent ritual tattooing by the Mentawai tribe. In the autumn of 2002, he exhibited Mentawaian artefacts and photographs at the National Museum in Prazev in the exhibition Siberut - The Eyes of Ghosts as part of the exhibition Mysterious Indonesia, which he co-organised with Jiří Hanzelka, Miroslav Zikmund, Rudolf Švaříček and Miroslav Stingl.
In June 2004, Formánek managed to write his second book, The Flying Jaguar, in 11 hours and 19 minutes in the window of the Neoluxor bookstore on Wenceslas Square in Prague in the presence of the public. The publisher published it in less than 12 hours and delivered it to bookstores from Ústí nad Labem to Ostrava. It became the fastest book written, printed and distributed in the world.
Formánek wrote his first work for a long time. When, after seven years of writing, his debut book, The Busty Man and the Story Thief, was published in November 2003, this novel about the devil and the miracles that can befall any of us drew a huge response from readers and critics alike. It sold 26,000 copies in one year and is now in its fifth edition.
Josef Formánek lives in Mala Tatimerze, the smallest village in the Bohemian Central Highlands. He has a daughter, Karolina. And his friend Dalibor Nesnídal, who illustrates his texts. In the autumn of 2004, Formánek decided to leave Koktejl magazine and devote himself solely to writing.
Try our cookiesAlza.cz a. s., Company identification number 27082440, use cookies and other data to ensure the proper functioning of the website and, with your consent, also, among other things, to personalize advertising and the content of our websites. By clicking on the “I understand“ button, you agree to the use of cookies and the transfer of data regarding the behavior on the website for displaying targeted advertising on social networks and advertising networks on other websites.
We use 8 categories of cookies on our website:
Technical cookies
These are strictly necessary for the functioning of the website and the features you choose to use. Without them, our website would not work; you wouldn't be able to log in to your user account, for example.
Functionality cookies
These cookies allow us to remember your basic choices and improve the user experience. These include remembering your preferred language or allowing you to stay logged in permanently.
Social media cookies
These cookies allow us to easily link you to your social media profile and, for example, allow you to share products and services with your friends and family.
Content personalisation
These cookies allow us to show you content and ads according to the information we have about you to best meet your needs. This includes what content you have viewed, or on what device you are accessing our website.
Non-personalised advertising
These cookies allow us to show you general ads for products and services.
Personalised advertising
Thanks to these cookies, we and our partners can offer you relevant products and services based on your purchases, your shopping behaviour and your preferences.
Audience metrics
These cookies allow us to optimise our site for your convenience based on how you use it. The aim is to remember or anticipate your choices. This includes, for example, the use of features, their location, or the behaviour on the page.
By giving your consent to the processing of cookies, functionality and analytical cookies will be installed on the device you use to browse the website (click on the "I understand" button for both categories, or you can select only one of the categories by clicking on the "Settings" button). We always install technical cookies on your device, even without your explicit consent, because without them our website would simply not work.
You can revoke your consent to the processing of cookies. In connection with our company's cookie processing, you also have the following rights: the right to access cookies, delete, modify, supplement and correct them, restrict processing and the right to lodge a complaint with the Office for Personal Data Protection. Read more about your rights.
