A graphic novel based on real events, as captured in his journals by a young Czech explorer and
botanist, Alberto Vojtch Fri. In the winter of 1908 he returned to Europe from Paraguay
accompanied by Cherwuish, a member of an indigenous tribe afflicted by a mysterious disease. A
captivating story depicting the encounter between two men from two entirely different cultures
whose paths crossed for a short time. A fascinating comic-form narrative laced with humour and
melancholy.
The story of Cherwuish is a true story. And it was in every respect as incredible, amusing and
bittersweet as Lucie Lomov has drawn it. First published in instalments in the popular Czech
journal Pestr tden in 1943, it was written in his old age by the legendary explorer and collector of
cacti A.V. Fri. In those days, as a protest against the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, he
grew a full beard of the kind favoured by South American barbudos, and would not leave his house.
During World War II writing became one of the few sources of his income. The adventures of a
savage in the civilised world, written with grace, humour and empathy, gradually expanded into a
great existential narrative not just that of Cherwuish but equally of Fris own personal story. The
tale of a brave adventurer, a free spirit who sometimes acted impulsively, a dreamer and a brawler,
an intrepid explorer of blank spots on the global map and in the human mind, endowed with a great
gift for observation and also for asking good questions, an interpreter of truths experienced at first
hand, a defender of the values of otherness.
Lucie Lomov is the best-known woman Czech comic art author of the new, postcommunist
generation, with three coveted Muriel Prizes for comic art to her name. She is also a prolific
illustrator, and her books have been translated into German, French, Hungarian and Polish.
