The book is translated into Belarusian published in the literary series "Czech collection". The presentation took place at the site of creative art-pub "Torvald".

According to the translator and curator of the series "Czech collection" Sergei Smotrichenko, speaking at a meeting in the role of moderator, the current event in Viciebsk was the first among the meetings with Czech writers outside of Minsk.

As the host a welcome word pronounced Vladimir Bulavsky. He noted that the writer take in Viciebsk from the Czech Republic in the 500-year anniversary of Skaryna's Bible, which appeared in particular due to the property of the Czech culture is quite symbolic.

Then he took the floor the representative of the Czech Embassy, Pavel Buček, who spoke in Ukrainian. The diplomat noted that Jáchym Topol – a famous Czech writer, also a very positive person from a very famous literary family, and therefore expressed the hope that the meeting will enjoy.

The novel of Jáchym Topol still smells of ink, and only a few days ago it was first presented at the Book Fair in Minsk. "Devil's Workshop" – this is the second author's work, which was published in translation into Belarusian. First published in 2008 in the eponymous book "Angel", which the drafters jokingly referred to as "Three Topols at Plyushchikha" in which the collected works of three Topol parents Josef and his two sons – Jáchym and Philip.

Then in February 2008, Jáchym first arrived in Belarus for the presentation of the book "Angel" and, having stayed here for two days, saw and experienced so many things that experienced and what he saw inspired him to new work, the novel "The workshop of the devil." Therefore, the events of this book take place including in a country called Belarus, in Minsk and its surroundings.

Says Jáchym Topol:

– When the Belarusian reader will read this book, he will say: "But what is Belarus?" Therefore, I say that this book is fantasy, or phantasmagoria. Living in Czech Republic, I always ask myself, where I actually live. And it should be noted that up to 26 years old, I lived in a big Soviet empire. I think that due to unfavorable historical circumstances Czechs, as a people, have found a victim complex. When I first arrived in Belarus, Belarusians seem to me very calm. Then the first time I got to the Museum of the Great Patriotic War, and it hit me one shock after another: in the Czech Republic and Slovakia killed thousands here – millions. And then there were Kurapaty and Khatyn was. Can you imagine that in two days occurred in my mind. I realized that we each other do not know. Besides great impression on me when the book "I am from the village of fire".

The book Topol reinvented terrible totalitarian past. But in order to obscure the horror, as the main character entered hero who never in his life was not in pivnuhe, I drank beer, and who for a little The novelce in love three times in three different women that can be perceived as a love story. The main hero of the book was born and lived all his life in the city-fortress of Terezin, where the war had made camp for Jews, where men were sent on to various concentration camps in Europe, primarily in Auschwitz, but in Minsk, too. The novel takes place after the war.

Each country has its own characteristics, each have something to offer the world. And above all, it is architecture. But if the architecture of European countries for the war almost did not suffer, what to offer the world Belarus? Park of brutal period? Skansen totalitarianism? Bags of bones? Barrels of blood? Much of this phantasmagoric book, but it is absolutely real things are intertwined.

Let us hope that such meetings will help the Czechs and Belarusians better understand each other.

Incidentally, I note that in this day of Czech beer only «Bernard» was in art pub.

S. Horki