Pearl at the bottom

Ordinary people, seemingly uninteresting at first glance, tell their stories, exaggerate, improvise, enjoy making things up and reminiscing—they are simply “palavering”. Using colloquial language filled with slang expressions, the author captures life often from the “other side” and, in people from the so-called dregs of society, finds the proverbial “pearl at the bottom”, penetrating the true, albeit hidden in a rough shell, core of people. Through his fresh and revelatory storytelling, Hrabal manages to convey the excitement of the inexhaustibility and beauty of life to the reader.