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Czechs in HistoryThe Good Soldier Svejk - a literary character, a legend
He was a man who never lived, yet who went further in defining the Czechs
in the 20th century than perhaps anyone else: the most famous of Czech
literary characters, the Good Soldier Svejk. Created by the true bohemian
- as well as anarchist - writer Jaroslav Hasek, Svejk is often
impenetrable but ultimately irreverent beneath a simple child-like smile
most often mistaken for foolishness. He makes a mockery of his
"betters" within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, ultimately seeing
through the hypocrisies of his day. Almost unintentionally he sabotages a
regime already coming apart at the seams under the fiasco of the Great
War. His greatest accomplishment: to survive in the face of adversity and
absurd situations, which continues to be his legacy for many Czechs...
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Current AffairsFans of 'The Good Soldier Svejk' salute genius of author Jaroslav Hasek
The famous Czech author of 'The Good Soldier Svejk and his Fortunes in the
World War', Jaroslav Hasek, died 80 years ago at the early age
of 39 - and it was to his genius that a special commemorative gathering
was held last week in Lipnice nad Sazavou in south-east Bohemia, where
Hasek spent the last few years of his life, and wrote much of his famous
opus.
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