Ari Dvořáků wins the 2024 Brno short-story contest
For the 8th year in a row, Brno expats and writing enthusiasts prepared a short-story contest to spark that creative streak in any English-speaking resident of Brno (or past resident).
“Only in Brno”
This year’s topic read “Only in Brno”, and 50 contestants submitted their short stories for viewing. And of those fifty entries, these are the winners:
The Fridge in the Tree, by Ari Dvořáků, won the first prize of 9,000 CZK for its clever storytelling. In it, the police were called because there was a fridge stuck in a treetop on Purkyňova street on November 1, 2016. The event enabled Dvořáků to explore the points of view of two witnesses—a quadriplegic man and a blind woman—and how they handled the situation.
“When I saw the topic for this year, I thought about going through the news and finding some really bizarre news from Brno,” said Dvořáků, who had finished second and third in earlier Brno Short Story Writing Contests. “This is not a true story. I completely made it up. I wanted to explore dependency in relationships.”
The Flow of the Ice Islands, by Ivo Skopal, placed second. Here, the jury appreciated the haunting recurring motif of the icy Svratka river that served as a solid centre. The Ossuary Keeper, by Rene Vrabel, placed third. Here, the Jury says, the key was the minimalism with which the story transports us to such a different time/place.
Congratulations, not only to the winners, but also to all the contestants who let their imagination run with this topic, and undoubtedly had some fun along the creative process.
Honourable mentions
Five additional stories were awarded Honorable Mention (listed in the order submitted):
Sympathy for Dr. Faust, by Dominik Ricanek
Elizabeth and her father find a desperate refuge in the old, dilapidated Devil’s Mill on the outskirts of Brno. The building’s name, however, is not a mere folk tale and Elizabeth finds herself at risk of being sucked in by the corrupting influences of Hell.
#TheBrnoEgg, by Dagmar Pavlov
A courageous Moravian woman single-handedly staves off an alien invasion with the help
of her own cunning and local beer.
We Will Be Fine, Barbora Kreysová
She is young, slightly self-centred, an HSP, hates beauty salons, is recovering from stomach flu and today, she is getting married in Brno to the love of her life. The wedding day is far from perfect, but the bride and groom are determined to celebrate their love, regardless of any obstacles.
A Stylistic Exercise in Peas, Krištof Anetta
A timelapse of one busy square where a curated selection of insignificant details has been tossed together with an equally curated selection of human beings.
Lonely in Brno, by Michael Hall
While visiting Brno’s Christmas markets with her daughter, Magda, ponders the difficulties of finding one’s place after relocation.
You can read these stories at brnowriters.wordpress.com.
