Abstract
In the chapter devoted to law in Karel Čapek' work, Michal Urban analyses short, but surprisingly inventive detective stories of this leading Czech literary man of the fi rst half of 20th century. In his text, Urban at first demonstrates Čapek's extraordinary ability to describe or invent legally interesting plots that would easily puzzle number of elite detectives.
Most of the attention, however, is devoted to exploring Čapek's understanding of the concept of justice. Čapek confronts the reader with number of stories that disrupt our traditional perception of justice and against the strictness and rigidity, which are oft en associated with justice, stresses its other, not less important qualities, namely the ability to understand and forgive.