acommonreader.st
Kafka, Čapek, Kundera and Havel, these are all world renowned names, but what about all the others? How well are Czech authors actually known abroad? Can you find a bookshop in Berlin, Madrid, Moscow, Paris or New York that aside from classics such as The Good Soldier Švejk also sell the works of contemporary Czech […]
Jomar Hønsi, who has been nice enough to comment on posts regarding Jaroslav Hašek, is highlighted (as is his website www.honsi.org) in this interview at Radio Prague. From the interview: And to explain a little bit to people who don’t know Hašek – he had the most extraordinary adventures during the First World War, travelling […]
Behind the Lines: Bugulma and Other Tales by Jaroslav Hašek Translation by Mark Corner Afterword by Robert B. Pynsent, Illustrations by Jiři Grus Published by Charles University in Prague, Karolinum Press ISBN 978-80-246-2013-8Jaroslav Hašek is best known for the satirical novel The Good Soldier Švejk but he also wrote close to 1,500 short stories. Fourteen […]
At Radio Prague recently… Jaroslav Hašek: not just The Good Soldier Švejk. I have been waiting for Behind the Lines for some time (and have recently been told “soon”). The interview with translator Mark Corner includes an excerpt from one of the stories. Willa Cather and the Bohemians of the prairies looks at the importance […]
I have been doing rather well on limiting my purchase of books, but another pre-order just went in… From The University of Chicago Press (distributed for Karolinum Press, Charles University): Behind the Lines: Bugulma and Other Tales by Jaroslav Hašek Jaroslav Hašek is a Czech writer most famous for his wickedly funny, widely read yet […]
There have been a couple of comments on The Good Soldier Švejk, particularly in regard to Part One: Behind the Lines. I think a large part of Hašek’s accomplishment revolves around the ambiguity on how much of a simpleton is Švejk. Is he playing the part or is he really a fool? Or is he […]
The statue of Švejk in HumennéŠvejk has been a faithful companion the past couple of months and I’m a little sad to shelve him (although maybe not for long since a family member seems interested in reading it). Despite its unevenness, I really enjoyed the book. To simply say this is an anti-war novel misses […]
Movie poster for Beg to Report, SirI am still working out where I want this blog to go, but one thing I wanted to do from the beginning was view/consume/compare a book to versions of it in other media, particularly film. I think I’ve made it clear I don’t have a problem with variations from […]
The major-general inspecting the latrines Illustration by Josef Lada Picture source “Stupid people have to exist too, because if everyone were wise then there would be so much good sense in the world that every other person would be driven crazy by it.” Most resources I’ve read mention that Hašek intended six volumes for The […]
Švejk before the divisional court Illustration by Josef Lada Picture sourceDespite this section’s title, Švejk does not make it to the front, although if the real battle is with bureaucracy then he is constantly “at the front.” He does travel, with and without his regiment, from Prague to a staging and training area just east […]