Allegro Agitato or Neurotically Yours – Libor Mikeska

Although Allegro Agitato or Neurotically Yours is initially structured around three intrinsically different Australians, who are still overwhelmed by a farrago of hopes, naivety, desires and uncertainty, only one of them, deciding to leave familiar shores, takes the plunge and sets out to discover life in mystical Prague. However he gets more than he bargained for when various twists of fate and chance encounters make everything possible in this intriguing city, where he not only learns of the unpredictability of life itself, the impermanence of ideal love, but also the truth about Kafka's secret trip to Australia! A plethora of amusing anecdotes taking place in Prague are contrasted against inimitable carefree Australian life, describing scenes of kangaroos in the rain; piers and beach scenarios where the characters loll away their time, when nothing seems to matter, except the lethargic splendour of the serene merging of sun, sea, sand and soul. So, torn between the eucalyptus air of home that beckons him and the beguiling lure of Prague with its promise of euphoric experiences, the main character oscillates between the two, only to succumb to a mysterious fate he would never have dreamed of. Real-life scenes are intermingled with recurring dream sequences which unveil different layers of reality: overall a novel of indulgence, wisdom and mystery, weaving its story with humour, charm and intellectual depth.