Družba Isusova

The plot follows Father Vojtěch Had and Countess Maria Maximiliana, whose fates intertwine in the conflict between the individual and the powerful Catholic Jesuit order. The novel explores themes of obedience, ideological oppression, and the loss of spiritual and human freedom. Vojtěch Had, a Jesuit priest, is faced with an internal conflict between his conscience and the strict rules of the order, where obedience is the highest value. Countess Maria Maximiliana, passionate and rebellious, comes into conflict with the church hierarchy, which leads to her spiritual and physical downfall. Their paths lead to a tragic end, where ideology suffocates humanity, leaving them as "empty physical shells". The novel is dark, with a heavy atmosphere, but also a layered narrative and dialogues that emphasize moral dilemmas. Šotola masterfully uses historical context to criticize totalitarian systems, making the novel universal. Croatian critic Ljudevit Bauer compared it to the novel Dervish and the Death of Meša Selimović due to similar themes of the conflict between the individual and the system. Published in 1975 in Croatia, the novel received critical acclaim and was adapted into a film in 2004, directed by Silvij Petranović.