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Czech BooksDickens and the Good Soldier Švejk
Here is a question for the Dickens bicentenary. What is the connection
between the great 19th century English novelist and the best-loved Czech
literary anti-hero? The answer is, surprisingly enough, that without
Dickens we quite possibly wouldn’t have Švejk at all. David Vaughan
looks at this and some other Czech links with Dickens in this week’s
Czech Books. More
SpotlightA tale of two restaurants
Hrabal’s book "I served the King of England" makes working in a
restaurant sound very dramatic, and very glamorous. But the novel also
suggests that such drama and glamour belong to a time now long gone. To
find out whether this was true, I visited two of Prague’s most famous
restaurants, to talk to their owners about their work from day-to-day. More
Czech HistoryJosef Lada – landscape painter and Švejk illustrator
As one art critic once said, the paintings of Josef Lada accompany Czechs
from cradle to grave. He is as well known for his illustrations of fairy
tales and children’s readers as he is for his landscapes, which each
Christmas are printed thousands of times over on the front of the
nation’s Christmas cards. Lada was also the artist who gave the grinning,
rotund Good Soldier Švejk his form. More
Czech HistoryThe world renowned writer and ‘folk hero’ Jaroslav Hašek
The Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek is best known today for his hilarious
anti-war novel The Good Soldier Švejk. Hašek’s own biography, however,
is perhaps just as farcical and action-packed as his most famous book. In
this edition of Czech History, we look at the life and times of this world
renowned author. More
Current AffairsFirst part of Czech classic The Good Soldier Švejk published 90 years ago
It has been 90 years since the publication of the first part of, Jaroslav
Hašek’s The Good Soldier Švejk. The four-part novel (which Hašek
failed to complete before his death at 40) introduced his good-natured
protagonist famously reacting to the assassination of the archduke in
Sarajevo in 1914. He asks his charwoman “Which Ferdinand, Mrs Muller? I
know two...”, oblivious to the gravity of developments. The novel has
long since been recognised as a satirical masterpiece, and has been
translated into more than 50 languages. More
Current AffairsGrandson of Josef Lada discusses artist’s classic Christmas cards and more
Cards featuring the work of Josef Lada are an integral part of Czech
Christmas. Lada is best known internationally for illustrations of the Good
Soldier Švejk, but his simply drawn carol singers, snow covered villages
and nativity scenes are just as popular in his native country. His
grandson, also named Josef Lada, says the artist's images capture something
everyone can relate to. More
Current AffairsPopular Czech children’s book under fiver over racist undertones
A racist passage from a popular Czech children’s book recently sparked a
heated debate in the Czech media after a Romany activist asked for it to be
withdrawn from the school curriculum. Thousands of Czechs publicly opposed
the request, which was also dismissed as unjustified by some Romany
organizations. But others believe the issue of racist undertones in some
Czech literary works should be taken seriously.
More
MagazineMagazine
A mistake made by a civil servant sets in motion bankruptcy proceedings
against all state institutions in the country, young Czechs have a
pillow-fight on Old Town Square and why do the city’s saints need
bodyguards? Find out more in magazine with Daniela Lazarova.
More
MagazineMagazine
A Czech broadcaster presents her show naked after losing a bet, an offer to
grab a beer saves the life of a deranged man and a man jailed for murder is
taking the jailhouse to court for allegedly being exposed to cigarette
smoke. Find out more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarová.
More
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