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The reign of Emperor Rudolph II belongs to one of the most significant eras of Czech history. Because of its residential position, Prague became a metropolis of great importance in Europe during the this time. On Rudolph's invitation, a great number of contemporary scientists like Giordano Bruno, Tycho de Brahe or Johannes Kepler, and also many outstanding artists and Bohemians came to work in Prague. Among them, however, were also charlatans and various adventurers.
Ivana Pechackova's novel is based on well-known Prague legends about the creation of an artificial human - the Golem. The story of a talented student, who seeks not only knowledge but also great wealth and power, and who runs away from studies in Heidelberg to search for the Golem in Prague, takes places toward the end of Rudolph's rule. The Emperor's voluntary isolation of the Prague Castle surely instigated the fantasies of his contemporaries about his persona, his precious collections and aspiration for power, which was endangered by his brother Matthias.
Intertwined with the legends of rabbi Low and his mysterious homunculus, Johan's story describes Rudolph's Prague as a city of tolerance, where members of different European cultures and religions met and lived together, and where the Christian majority had very close relations with the Jewish minority. The Faustian story narrates about the everlasting human passion for knowledge, love and happiness.
The legend was illustrated by an outstanding graphic artist Petr Nikl, whose unique conception of the Golem magically outlines the mysterious contour of the ancient story.