A favorite work of Czech humor, We Were a Handful depicts the adventures of five boys from a small Czech town through the diary of Petr Bajza, the grocer's son. Written by Karel Polacek at the height of World War II before his deportation to Auschwitz in 1944, this book draws on the happier years of Polacek's own childhood as inspiration. As we look upon the world through Petr's eyes, we, too, marvel at the incomprehensible world of grownups; join in fights between gangs of neighborhood kids; and laugh at the charming language of boys, a major source of the book's humor. This translation at last offers English-language readers the opportunity to share in Petr's (and Polacek's) childhood and reminds us that joy and laughter are possible even in the darkest times.

A famous Czech humoristic novel depicting adventures of five boys from a small Czech town in the form of a child's diary written by Petr Bajza, a grocer's son. In the middle of the Second World War, the most difficult period in his life - before his transport to the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944 - Czech writer Karel Polacek (1892-1944) recalls his happy childhood through the eyes of the child narrator. The reader discovers the world seen through the eyes of children, experiences his daily adventures and clashes with the incomprehensible world of the grown-ups as well as fights with children's gangs from the neighbourhood and can appreciate the charming language of boys, frequently the main source of humor. After more than 60 years, also English-speakers are offered a chance to read this Polacek's novel. The text is complemented by colour illustrations by Jiri Grus.