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/lit/ - Literature

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1455357 No.1455357 [Reply] [Original]

Czech literature is some of the most thoughtful, heartfelt, and meaningful literature of the 20th century. The Czechs have a unique perspective on life that I can't find mirrored in any other country's authors.

What are your best Czech book suggestions? Poetry? What do you think of Czech literature in general?

Pic related. It's my favorite Czech author.

>> No.1455359

>>1455357
no it isn't.

>> No.1455402

I enjoyed "In the Footsteps of the Abominable Snowman" by Josef Nesvadba.

>> No.1455448

Too Loud a Solitude made me cry like a little sissy girl. I was pretty embarrassed but luckily was alone.

>> No.1455459
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1455459

I used to feverishly read everything Kundera. It was so edgy and sensual. Like a rich man's Henry Miller. Later I start finding his writing too pedantic. I'll have to revisit him one of these days.

Kafka wasn't really Czech, so I love Vaclav Havel political speeches, essays, books. His autobiography is pretty good to.

>> No.1455519

>>1455357

I don't have one yet, but I'll check out your favorite!

>> No.1455529

>>1455519

Don't you mean....Czech out your favorite?

OH HO HO HO HO HO!

>> No.1455580

>>1455459
"The Unbearable Lightness of Being" is a rightful classic I really enjoyed, "Life Is Elsewhere" by Kundera is less known. I remember it having an unexpected part throughout the middle which made the book even better. It's been a while though...

>> No.1455605

Jan Neruda's poetry was fantastic. I never would have heard of him if it weren't for Pablo, but I'm glad I did.

>> No.1456317

Every time I go to a used book store and find a work by Kundera I buy it. He wrote so many amazing books.

>> No.1456374

Hrabal wrote so many inspired and fine books. Čapek is my all-time favourite Czech author, though. All his work is perplexing--some of his short stories are mindfuckingly good.
Pavel Kohout wrote some good works. I'm not too fond of Klíma nor Havel, though. I never read anything of theirs I liked.

>> No.1456380

>>1456374
As far as playwrights go, Josef Topol is terrific. Not to mention Čapek's plays.

Also, OP, who is the photo? I can't recognise the guy. It makes me think he's really quite old now and I never saw a photo of him from way back.

>> No.1456765

>>1456380
The picture is Bohumil Hrabal. He's been dead nearly 15 years now but his work resonates just the same.

>> No.1456807

This thread got me interested in Czech lit. What 3 to 5 books would you folks recommend to a complete beginner? If I haven't forgotten anything, I haven't read a single Czech book so far.

>> No.1456942

>>1456807
bump for interest.

>> No.1457075
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1457075

>> No.1457459

Also Czech bitches are HOT.

Czech is number 1! Czech is number 1! Czech is number 1! Czech is number 1!

>> No.1457486
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1457486

>implying Irish literature isn't the most thoughtful, heartfelt, and meaningful literature of the 20th century

>> No.1457496

>>1457486
This is true. On top of that, Irish writers keep getting mistaken for Brits.

>> No.1457506

>>1457496
A Chinese guy once said to me that he thought James Joyce was English.

>> No.1457509
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1457509

>>1455357
>>1455357

>> No.1457511

>>1457506
Wilde's probably the worst one for being thought of as British.

>> No.1457520

>>1457511
Which is painful for me, because often when people hear I'm named after him the conversation heads in that direction and all the usual misunderstandings crop up.

>> No.1457726

>>1456807
Too Loud a Solitude - Bohumil Hrabal
The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
Love and Garbage - Ivan Klima

These three separate authors will give you a good introduction. Most likely you'll be interested in reading more from each author - Czechs tend to be prolific, so there's a lot to read. Enjoy!

>> No.1457803

I have a copy of "War with the Salamanders" by Čapek for my first Czech reading experience. Will it be good?

>> No.1457814

>>1457803
It's a sort of science fiction piece, meant to be satirical. You'll probably enjoy it, but it isn't quite in the same vein as some of the other writers in this thread.

>> No.1457812

>czechoslovakia
>treated as a real nation by faggot hipsters
lol

>> No.1458440

>>1455605
In May 2009 a US astronaut took a book of Jan Neruda's poetry into space. The volume was Cosmic Songs.

>> No.1459187

Czechrepublump

>> No.1459198

Who was that guy who wrote about the detective: Boruvka or something? Yeah yeah, too lazy to google because of all the booze and pills.

They were cool.

>> No.1459230

>>1457726
>>1457726
I can get the Kundera and Klima ones for a total of $1.64 plus $4/ea for shipping, are they worth $9.64? do you know if there are any ebooks of them?

>> No.1459242

>>1459230
Definitely worth the price. Usually Unbearable Lightness on its own costs $14.

Kundera is probably available as an e-book somewhere but Klima will be more difficult to find.

>> No.1459248

>>1459242
They are used

>> No.1459250

>>1459248
Best way to buy books, in my opinion. You can get so many more books if you get them used.

Enjoy!

>> No.1459568

>>1459250

not porno though - it's horrible when the paes are stuck together

>> No.1459630

>>1457726
Skip "Love and Garbage"--unless the English translation is somehow better than the original. It's a total snoozer.

I'd recommend Čapek's "Meteor" in its place.

>> No.1459668
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1459668

>>1455459
Power of the Powerless is a fantastic read, as is The Increased Difficulty of Concentration. I've never seen Concentration performed, however, so I'd stick with the former. It was written with a specific time and place in mind, but it's lessons are universal

/has read Power of the Powerless several times
/is posting on /lit/ at 12:53 AM after a Saturday night in
/forever alone

>> No.1460167

>>1455357
That guy looks like a Twilight Zone character.

>> No.1460179

>>1459568
I hate when frozen peas get stuck together too.

>> No.1461832

Czech literature is good but there really isn't all that much of it translated into English. Even finding Jan Neruda's poetry is difficult. Kundera is probably the best known and most widely translated of them all, these days. He's nearly the best, though, so that's ok.

>> No.1461862
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1461862

Is it true that Karel Čapek invented the word "Robot"?

also,
>my city when I'm czech

>> No.1461882

>>1461862
Robot comes from "robotovat" a Czech word meaning "to engage in drudgery."

He credits his brother, Josef, with the word "Robot."

Also, hilarious that you call Prague "your city" with a picture of the castle. As if anyone who lives in Prague ever sets foot in the touristy bullshit at Hradčany.

>> No.1461899
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1461899

>>1461882

I keep forgetting how sensitive czech's are now towards their cultural identity because of all the tourists.

It must be like being occupied again.

>> No.1461938

>>1461899
Fightin' words. Prepare the Panzers.

>> No.1461950
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1461950

>>1461899
>nazibillycorgan.jpg

>> No.1462914

>>1455459
Kafka was as Czech as it gets. Today's Prague is still quite kafkaesque. I'm German and it is our brothel.
I enjoyed Svejk, Hrabal and Fuks seemed to have watching too much of the gloomy German expressionist cinema but I served the English King is funny at times and rrromantic, yes, yes. For Kundera you need a Vagina en coup with a male chauvinist attitude. Eastern European Commie era dissidents show a nauseatic amount of machismo "look at me, I'm fucking Conan, I'm fighting the fucking Soviet Dragon, b!tchezz!"

>> No.1462930

>>1457726
>Too Loud a Solitude - Bohumil Hrabal
>Love and Garbage - Ivan Klima
describe! isn't an Ivan ought to be a johan or something with schismatic slavs?