How I Came to Know Fish
SynopsisPlot
Fishing with his father and his Uncle Prosek - the two finest fishermen in the world - he takes a peaceful pleasure from the rivers and ponds of his country. But when the Nazis invade, his father and two older brothers are sent to concentration camps and Pavel must steal their confiscated fish back from under the noses of the SS to feed his family. With tales of his father's battle to provide for his family both in wealthy freedom and in terrifying persecution, this is one boy's passionate and affecting tale of life, love and fishing.
Story
About this book
Ota Pavel's memoir looks back at a childhood in Czechoslovakia through fishing. His father and Uncle Prosek were devoted anglers, and many chapters follow their outings along the rivers and ponds of the Czech countryside. Pavel writes about the patience of catching fish, the landscape around the water, and the family bonds formed during long hours spent outdoors together.
The book changes register when the Nazi occupation reaches the family. Pavel's father and two older brothers are sent to concentration camps, and the family's property, including their fish, is confiscated. The boy takes fish back in secret, under the watch of the SS, to feed those left at home. Ordinary pleasure and open danger sit side by side.
Across both periods, the father remains the central figure, a man working to provide for his household first in comfort and then under persecution. Ota Pavel worked as a sports journalist before turning to these stories. The memoir was published in Czech in 1974 and has since appeared in English translation, keeping its short chapters, its river settings, and its steady attention to fish, weather, and family.
