Boj o první místo

by Jaroslav Foglar

Děj se odehrává ve třídním kolektivu, kde se téměř všichni chlapci obdivují Rudovi Lorencovi. Ten umí skvěle hrát hokej, fotbal, je výborný atlet, je chytrý a dovede hodně věcí, o kterých se ostatním ani nesnilo. Náklonnosti chlapců však zneužívá. Petr Solnar jeho špatnost jako jediný vidí, a proto s ním vede otevřenou válku. Protože je celá třída na straně Rudy, raději si ho nevšímá a trénuje na závod napříč městem. Shoda náhod ho ale donutí konečně vystoupit z řady.

Genres: Childrens, Czech Literature, Fiction, Adventure

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Foglar was born and grew up in Prague, capital of Bohemia. Because his father died prematurely he was brought up in rather poor material conditions by his mother. He was strongly influenced by romantic parts of Prague. All of the fictional towns in his novels are more or less derived from Prague. During the 1920s, Foglar was strongly influenced by German independent Wandervogel movement as well as Scout movement led by Antonín Benjamin Svojsík under Czech name Junák.

During 1930s and 1940s, Foglar worked as a magazine editor in one of the largest Prague publishing houses, Melantrich. He edited several journals for youths:
Mladý hlasatel ("Young herald"), 1938–1941
Junák ("Scout"), 1945–1949
Vpřed ("Ahead"), 1946–1948

and he wrote articles for even more journals including the Skaut, Sluníčko, ABC, and the Tramp.


After Communist coup in 1948 Foglar was kicked out of publishing house, his magazines were liquidated and his books prohibited, as was the Scout movement and independent youth clubs. For many years he worked as tutor in youth internate schools and homes. During the fall of censorship at the end of 1960s, he published some new books and the re-editions of the olders. After Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia his books were newly banned until 1989.

Foglar lived with his mother caring for her until her death in high age and never married.

One of the key motives of Foglar's novels is the tension between the loneliness and close friendship between young male heroes. These are especially distinctive in novels 'Přístav volá', 'Kdyz duben přichází', 'Chata v Jezerní kotlině', 'Modra rokle' and 'Tajemna Rasnovka'. These novels are also non-scout ones, picturing independent life of youths. On the other hand, in second large group of his novels, a 'group hero' novels, the plot is based on stories of some organized group of youths, with less individual psychology and more action and adventures. The heroes are boy scouts or independent clubbists.

Reviews

[Jan Modrák · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Přečteno" ve formě audioknihy, namluveno Vojtěchem Kotkem, vydal Albatros.

Od foglarovky už dnes nelze čekat moderní knihu pro děti, samozřejmě. Aani náhodou to nedosahuje kvalit série Rychlých šípů. Ale když nemáte vysoké očekávání, na pár hodin do auta to děti (v mém případě dva malé kluky) zabaví a rodiče to taky úplně nenudí. Gay části (samozřejmě jen v náznacích) působí poněkud divně, ale jinak je to přes určitou zastaralost docela napínavé a má to nějaké poselství přesněji výchovný aspekt. Cením kvalitní produkční hodnotu. Dobře namluvené!

Moc doufám, že Albatros vydá jako audioknihu i další foglarovky (aktuálně Tajemná Řásmovka a hlavně Tajemství Velkého Vonta). Stala se z toho u nás v rodině tradice, posloucháme to v autě po cestě na dovolenou :-).

[Liliana Lanzhotska · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible.I don’t think that a lot of people would appreciate it now but I loved it. It’s everything I would ever want in a book but that might just be my opinion.

[WolfR · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some books don’t age well.

[Jirka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kniha je o klukovi jménem Petr . Ten petr měl rád sport docela se mi tato knížka líbyla

[Filip · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get that this book was written in a different regime and for a different generation. But it still feels really outdated. It is not just the language itself, but also the way society behaves, what expects from its young generations etc. It was supposed to show young boys what is the right way to live life, but it doesn't do a very good job. It only says: "You should behave like this because it is the right way." Not why it is the right way, nor how to get on the right way. It describes personal growth of a boy called Peter, but in jumps: "he behaved like this and now he behaves differently, you should too." I know that I am not doing a great job in expressing myself, but that is the lack of knowledge - both of English and literary theory. But I hope you can see at least some meaning in my rumbling. All in all, the book isn't bad. It reads easy, but (as I said at the beginning) it feels terribly outdated.