Pas de Deux

Libuše Moníková’s novel Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night), written long before the COVID-19 pandemic but translated and published in excerpts during it, resonates with themes of isolation and quarantine. Set in post-Soviet Prague, it follows an unnamed narrator who awakens from a week-long sleep and confronts her caretaker, Tomáš Asperger, who compares his role to being on a “quarantine island” (Moníková 89), evoking parallels to COVID-19 lockdowns. The narrator’s defiant cynicism and her battle with pneumonia mirror an uncertain voyage, while the sudden onset of her menstrual cycle—marked by cramps and heavy flow—serves as a stark reminder of life. Moníková contrasts deep sleep and bodily pain, suggesting that pain itself is a vital reminder of life.