An introduction to twentieth-century Czech fiction : comedies of defiance / Robert Porter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Porter, Robert.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Czech fiction--20th century--History and criticism.

Czech fiction.

Physical Description:

ix, 209 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Brighton ; Portland, Or. : Sussex Academic Press, 2001.

Summary:

This book is a lucid and balanced appraisal of some of the best Czech fiction of the twentieth century. The Introduction sets out some of the chief features of Czech literature, notably its preoccupations with lyricism, civic-mindedness, and comedy. There follow chapters on Capek, Hasek, Hrabal, Skvorecký, Pavel, Klíma, and a final chapter on Hodrová, Viewegh and Topol. The book spans the entire century from the newly created Czechoslovakia after 1918, through the years of Nazi occupation and Communist rule, the Prague Spring and finally on to the Velvet Revolution of 1989.

Contents:

Surviving the century / Jaroslav Hasek 4

Whose point of view? / Karel Capek 27

Small people and tall tales / Bohumil Hrabal 52

Fascism, Communism and all that jazz / Josef Skvorecky 87

Laughter in the dark / Ota Pavel 123

Conscience and moral conundrums / Ivan Klima 136

New voices? / Daniela Hodrova, Michal Viewegh, Jachym Topol 162.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 192-196) and index.

ISBN:

1902210808

OCLC:

47100861