Story Arc of
Z Mého Dětství/Enfance/Childhood

In Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichová’s 1929 work Z Mého Dětství (From My Childhood), the story arc follows a quiet, episodic narrative of the artist’s upbringing in a middle-class family in the Moravian region of the Czech Republic.

As the first wordless novel (or graphic novel) created by a woman, it departs from the gritty, socio-political drama seen in the works of her contemporary Frans Masereel. Instead, it offers a gentle, impressionistic look at everyday life.

The Narrative Arc

The story consists of 95 woodcuts that function as a visual memoir. While it lacks a high-stakes “rising action” or “climax” in the traditional sense, its arc is defined by the passage of time and the growth of consciousness:

Early Childhood (The Awakening): The beginning of the book captures the “first awakenings of consciousness.” It focuses on domestic scenes, the warmth of the family home, and the protagonist’s relationship with her mother and father.

Daily Life and Rituals: The middle of the arc explores the rhythm of life in a provincial town. This includes scenes of religious festivals, visits to relatives, quiet afternoons of reading, and playing in nature. It highlights the safety and stability of a bourgeois environment.

The Transition to Adolescence: As the book progresses, the protagonist ages. The focus shifts slightly from the insular world of the nursery to the wider world of school and social expectations.

The “Resolution”: The book concludes with the girl entering her “young lady years.” The final arc is often described as being “illuminated by the joy of successfully overcoming the first difficult test of young life”—specifically, a period of illness or a spiritual/moral challenge that signals the end of childhood innocence and the transition into maturity.

EDITIONS

1929 Z Mého Dětství – click here with an introduction in Czech by Arne Novák, a Czech historian and critic. This was republished as:

DOES A GERMAN EDITION EXIST??

In a Turkish journal* Professor Dr. Açelya B . Gönüllü published a 14 page article titled AĞAÇ BASKI-YAZISIZ ROMAN’ SANATINDA ĠLK KADIN SANATÇI: HELENA BOCHOŘÁKOVÁ-DITTRICHOVÁ where at p.349 of the Journal she states “Helena‟nın bu ilk ağaç baskı romanı, İngilizce, Fransızca ve Almanca olarak da basılır.” Translation: Helena’s first woodcut novel is also published in English, French and German (my emphasis). *The Journal of Social Science; Year: 4, Issue: 12, August 2017, p. 339-353

When asked as to the basis for saying a German edition existed, in an email dated 2021-09-07 (Gönüllü to Martens) Prof Gönüllü advised she relied solely on the thesis of a Czech student (Juga, D. (2010) Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichová a Meziválečná Sociální Graphica na Moravě. Magisterská diplomová práce) where at page 106 of his thesis Juga stated, “Díky francouzskému, německému a anglickému vydání knihy Z mého dětství se kniha dostala také do povědomí zahraničních criticalů a bibliofilů.” Translation: “Thanks to the French, German and English editions of the book, Z Mého Dětství, the book also became known to foreign critics and bibliophiles.”

If anyone has contact information for David Juga or any information about a German edition – please contact me at wn@wordlessnovels.com

COMMENTS

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