Peter Staríček gets the full flavour of words. He is always trying to find new options in words and phrases. He entitled his book “Walker”, thus indicating he´s not rushing to the finish line along with “Lonesome Runners”. He claims that for him the finish line represents the first step only.

Ľubomír Feldek (annotation of book "Chodec"/"Walker")

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Peter Staríček´s book of poetry “Walker” can be perhaps considered as the most ripe poetic debut of the last year in the Slovak poetry, and it is maybe one of the most remarkable lyrical performances of the last year at all. Staríček, despite the fact he just embarked on a cruise of (book) poetry, is progressing from the very start with a grace of an old and experienced self-confident poetic "walker". He starts with "classic" cycle of sonnets – and it is clear from the outset that he has the sonnet form under a sovereign control, and he also has something to say. (...)
After this short untitled cycle of sonnets, three relatively separate sections of poems in a free verse follow, except the penultimate, which contains sijo - poetic form of an old Korean poetry – Staríček shapes it as a form of triad of couplets. The final part “Somnolence” is the only one designated by the name.
Staríček´s inspiration by visual art is obvious, but we can discover a reference sphere in his poetry as well, which is highly lyrical "occupation" - troubled, non-idylic, gloomy aspects, events and moments of life. The debutant handles with all these things with a rare poetic intuition and with a sense and feel for the shape and expression.

Zoltán Rédey

(Veľa zbierok - málo poézie : slovenská poézia 2009 / Zoltán Rédey. 2010. In: Knižná revue. - ISSN 1210 - 1982. - Roč. 20, č. 14-15 (2010), s. 9-18)

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If these poems lacked ideas and imagination, we could at least admire technical skills of the author. But there is something more.
If a man skimmed a poetic debut of Peter Staríček (“Walker”) only, he would be surprised by formal perfection of this debut, the first part of which is written in form of crystal clear sonnets, and other parts show the author's talent as well. But skimming lacks efficiency in this case, we have to know how to read Staríček´s debut, to understand it.
This is not a book of collected poems only, but a coherent composition, metaphor of the birth of a human being. Author encrypted his intentions to perfection and therefore it takes a lot of time even to a patient reader to come to the idea that in, below and between the lines of each poem there is a walker, in fact a newborn, who walks a tightrope and sees the deep abyss bellow, the darkness "from which the sounds and words spring up".
The author asks himself: "when germination was created only for germination/
what does the constant repetition mean?”.
It's an eternal question of the meaning of life and the literature is still looking for the answer.

Jozef Bžoch

Bžoch, J.: Prvochodec hľadá odpoveď na otázku o zmysle života. In: sme.sk, 26. 2. 2010 (http://kultura.sme.sk/c/5259672/prvochodec-hlada-odpoved-na-otazku-o-zmy...).

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A word play, refined shape and a rich vocabulary of modern poetry from Válek through “Concretists”, “Lonesome Runners” to “Barbarians”, are the most elaborated instruments of Staríček´s poetry. The joints with women´s poetry are interesting as well. Author revives sonnet, brings in Slovak poetry updated old Korean poetic form “sijo”, skillfully handles with rhymes, and revels in diffusing a sense and in creating distant vertical metaphors.

Ivana Hostová

Hostová, I.: Kto sa bojí, nech nechodí (Peter Staríček: Chodec). In: Knižná revue, roč. XX, 2010, č. 3, s. 5. (https://www.litcentrum.sk/recenzia/chodec-peter-staricek-kto-sa-boji-nec...)

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In Peter Staríček´s writings we can clearly feel various streams of modern Slovak and world poetry. We can mention Lonesome Runners at least (I. Laučík, I. Štrpka, P. Repka), Staríček is connected with them by preferring an analytical approach to the language and by an effort to reach a poetic polyphony and ambiguity, implementation of visualization or by an inventive discovering of new layers of words in order to mine the most appropriate image, or a keyword for a particular sensation, perception and association. The frequent use of sounds, rhythms and signs has its own autonomous space in interesting overlapping positions; variations of the contradictions and the fragmentation of poetic expression in brief prosaic shape creates a unique situational space for pushing the limits of form and the thematic limits between the spatiotemporal concreteness and steps of the walker, which are aimed to an indeterminate point where everything remains open. "I'm a walker wandering between air molecules. I stop by them, breathing in the space, whenever I have an occasion." (P. Staríček).
By publishing his debut, Peter Staríček let us know the fact, he is not sensible walker only, equipped with strong imagination, but also a talented poet, creatively searching for appropriate words and links between them in order to render his authentic feelings, experiences and lessons learned from his own steps.
Final destination, as opposed to the runners, does not mean anything in this case. The first step has to be the most important and well-considered. If we succeed with this first step, we are on a right way.

Peter Cabadaj

Cabadaj, P.: Z ponuky slovenských knižných vydavateľstiev (Peter Staríček: Chodec). In: Knižnica, roč. 11, 2010, č. 11-12, s. 103-104. (https://www.snk.sk/images/snk/casopis_kniznica/2010/november_december/10...)

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The world and its modifications by the poet (Staríček) – whether in the shade or in the light – are scattered in many flavors and colors, but they are not lost (!), and even in verses which “convict” the poet of not playing a bunco game with anybody (thankfully), he is ready for what is to come, and perhaps even more for what probably never comes, but what is still crouching in every mans´ step in an agnostic grimace.

Marián Grupač

Grupač, M.: Peter Staríček: Chodec. In: Slovenské pohľady, roč. IV + 126, 2010, č. 9, s. 128-130.

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Peter Staríček´s debut “Walker” is a really valuable initial step out of a young poet and a fulfillment of his writing talent in a full sense, and most likely it is a signal of continuity of writing high-quality, tasteful poetry as well. (...) His collection represents "poetry of searching". Staríček´s word seems to be finding new dimensions (hidden until now).

Mária Pavligová

(https://www.litcentrum.sk/autor/peter-staricek/komplexna-charakteristika...)

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