In this beguiling collection of poems by Jitka Bret Srbová, the forest is not merely a setting but a fellow inhabitant, at times even a familiar presence. Rather than simply exploring a possible and innovative return to nature poetry, the book unfolds as a dialogue with a respected yet forgotten being – one that stands in firm but non-aggressive opposition to the city, without closing itself off to those willing to enter into conversation. Within this dialogue, the forest emerges as a place where buried questions may find their answers, where one can draw energy while also offering something in return. Above all, it opens a space for experiencing a particular form of mysticism and mystery that has long been associated with the forest.

“My Daughter Marches through the Forest,” translated by Ryan Scott, appeared in B O D Y.

Published in 2016 by Dauphin Publishers in the Czech Republic.
99 pages / 12,9 x 20,7 cm

Also by Jitka Bret Srbová

The collection In Defence of Small Things sets out to discover the world of familiar yet often overlooked details. The reader encounters the poet’s fascination with everyday, seemingly insignificant things, and an effort to grasp their deeper significance for each of us. Every return to nature, intimacy, and motherhood in these poems of the home is tinged with a quiet sense of threat, arriving not only from the world outside but, often unexpectedly, from within. The central message of the collection, however, lies in attending to things as they exist within the vibrant cycle of the world and sustaining an ongoing dialogue with them.

Published in 2025 by Host Publishers in the Czech Republic.
92 pages / 14,2 x 17,5 cm

Also by Jitka Bret Srbová