The Coasts of Bohemia: A Czech History

by Derek Sayer

In The Winter's Tale, Shakespeare gave the landlocked country of Bohemia a coastline – a famous and, to Czechs, typical example of foreigners' ignorance of the Czech homeland. Although the lands that were once the Kingdom of Bohemia lie at the heart of Europe, Czechs are usually encountered only in the margins of other people's stories. In The Coasts of Bohemia, Derek Sayer reverses this perspective. He presents a comprehensive and long-needed history of the Czech people that is also a remarkably original history of modern Europe, told from its uneasy center.Sayer shows that Bohemia has long been a theater of European conflict. It has been a cradle of Protestantism and a bulwark of the Counter-Reformation; an Austrian imperial province and a proudly Slavic national state; the most easterly democracy in Europe; and a westerly outlier of the Soviet bloc. The complexities of its location have given rise to profound (and often profoundly comic) reflections on the modern condition. Franz Kafka, Jaroslav Hasek, Karel Capek and Milan Kundera are all products of its spirit of place. Sayer describes how Bohemia's ambiguities and contradictions are those of Europe itself, and he considers the ironies of viewing Europe, the West, and modernity from the vantage point of a country that has been too often ignored.

The Coasts of Bohemia draws on an enormous array of literary, musical, visual, and documentary sources ranging from banknotes to statues, museum displays to school textbooks, funeral orations to operatic stage-sets, murals in subway stations to censors' indexes of banned books. It brings us into intimate contact with the ever changing details of daily life – the street names andfacades of buildings, the heroes figured on postage stamps – that have created and recreated a sense of what it is to be Czech. Sayer's sustained concern with questions of identity, memory, and power place the book at the heart of contemporary intellectual debate. It is an extraordinary story, beautifully told.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Czech Literature

442 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the title suggests that this is "a Czech History," it tells that history more in the development of the arts rather than actual history. You will get some "regular" history, but most developments are seen through the works of the artists, composers (whom I think are slighted - no discussion of the development of Dvorak's work, for example), writers, publications, etc.

If you are looking for a basic history of the Czech Republic, don't read this. It is, however, a well-written, interesting book.

[lyell bark · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty fun cultural history of the czech republic! dude, one ime i went to prague for like 2 days, and it changed my life. europe is so different, especially, like the east or whatever. no i can relive it all by reading about smoe czech museums, how czech girls do more healthy the the layabout german ruling class girls so the slav naturally develops bigger t+a, and surrealism about penises. cool. also reminded me to pirate like every jiri trnka movie, thanks book.

[Frank Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this before I knew anything much about Czech history/lit/art, and found it hopeless. Then I read it after I'd lived there for a while and thought it was one of the most interesting books ever... it turned me on to so many other cool things. Not for beginners in Czech history, I guess, but great after you've learned a little bit.

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than just a history of events and personages, The Coasts of Bohemia deals in some depth with Czech culture. The efforts on the part of the nationalists to build a cultural identity up to the first republic and its perversion under the KSC is described in exhaustive detail. A book to keep as a reference.

[Otto Palmlöf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Awfully dry, I only finished it because of various small fun facts scattered throughout. It is not a "Czech History" in the sense of the Czech people or the Czech lands, but rather a history of "Czech" – that is to say the national identity, what it means to be Czech etc... Often this is manifested by way of tedious lengthy passages on nische Czech art.

The topic in itself needn't be bad, despite not being that I was hoping for. The main problem is the endless dropping of names and numbers which serve no apparent purpose, except perhaps for reference. The entire book is written in a dry prose that gets grating quickly.

Some not atypical excerpts to show what I mean:

"Jirásek's pres ence in the socialist landscape was not confined to the printed page. His play MD Rettigova was produced at the National Theater in the 1947-48 season (84 performances between 1947 and 1952), Lucerna in 1948-49 (42 perfor- mances between 1949 and 1950), Jan Žižka in 1949-50 (88 performances between 1950 and 1953), Vojnarka in 1950-51 (156 performances between 1950 and 1956), Lucerna again in 1951-52 (199 performances between 1952 and 1957), Samota (Solitude) in 1952-53 (63 performances between 1953 and 1955), and Otec (The Father) in 1955-56 (43 performances between 1956 and 1957). The Theater of the Czechoslovak Army staged the Hussite trilogy Jan Hus, Jan Žižka, and Jan Roháč in 1951-52. The army also pro- vided many of the extras in the numerous films of Jirásek's works made in people's democratic Czechoslovakia: among them were Jan Roháč (1947). Temno (1950). Staré pověsti české (1953), Jan Hus (1955), Jan Žižka (1956). and Proti všem (1957), F. L Věk's panorama of obrození Prague hit Czech TV screens in the early 1970s."

"The 1952 Aleš centennial exhibition provides convincing testimony that much of this reviv- alist activity aroused no great enthusiasm among the český lid whom it was intended to inspire. A paltry 13,233 visitors turned out for the main Aleš show at Prague Castle, an average of just 71 people a day. This compares with 161,071 for another Josef Mánes retrospective in 1971, 101,608 for "Baroque Art in Bohemia" in 1982, and 98,517 for the 1990 exhibition "Czech Art 1908-1968," a first postcommunist attempt to set the record straight on twentieth-century Czech art. By 1979, Aleš mustered 132,486. Alfons Mucha, as we saw, attracted over 200,000 visitors in 1980. "

[clancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

i was hoping for more of a literal history but this was much more conceptual and hard to follow. i skimmed most of it and looked at the pictures. i think i gathered that the vinchattles may identify as bohemian so hard and came to the us in 1860 bc there was a push to force all the czech people to speak german, but i am not sure!!

[Mandee LaCroix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting cultural history of Bohemian people and the land that was called Bohemia

[Esimacrohen]

Čechy - země stovky rybníků

Podél Vltavy - jižně od Zlatého města Prahy - je skrytá mozaika jezer a rybníků, luk a lesů. Mezi tím: historické hrady, paláce a středověká města.
Šarm této krajiny byl z velké části utvářen lidmi, když ve středověku byly nepřístupné bažiny a rašeliniště v horním toku Vltavy transformovány do rybníkové krajiny. „Vesmír“ dokumentuje změnu v této krajině v rytmu ročních období. Jedinou věcí, která se v průběhu let nemění, je třída českého fotbalu. Proto jsme se rozhodli nastolit čas vytvořit web, který zahrnuje ty nejlepší české bookmakery na https://globusbet.com/cz/

Dokument „Čechy - země stovky rybníků“ od Michaela Schlambergera a Jiřího Petra vypráví příběh magické země v srdci Evropy. Podél Vltavy, jižně od Zlatého města Prahy, je skrytá mozaika jezer, rybníků, luk a lesů.
Lidský ráj
Na první pohled to, co vypadá jako nedotčená vodní divočina, je lidský ráj. Michael Schlamberger a Jiří Petr namalovali atmosférický portrét kulturní krajiny, která se stala nenahraditelným útočištěm pro mnoho živočišných druhů. Kameraman Jiří Petr tuto krajinu zná již od nejranějšího věku a jako přírodní tvůrce ji celé roky potuluje do posledního rohu. Tímto filmem nyní poskytuje nečekané a fascinující vhledy do krajiny, kterou byste si ve střední Evropě jen stěží představili.

Příroda a kulturní země jsou zde po staletí úzce propojeny. Ve středověku byly nepřístupné močály a rašeliniště mezi řekami Vltava a Lainsitz v jižních Čechách přeměněny na síť rybníků a kanálů pro chov ryb. Ale příroda zde nebyla zničena. Naopak: v průběhu staletí zde byla vytvořena pohádková krajina a jedinečný zvířecí ráj.
Historie této jedinečné oblasti začala rybou, kaprem. Římané kdysi představili původně asijské druhy do Evropy, kde osídlili jezera a řeky dunajského regionu. Mniši sem přivezli kapry z Dunaje poprvé ve 12. století, protože kapr byl vždy oblíbenou rybí potravou, v kuchyních opatství to bylo považováno za přednostní rychlé občerstvení. Vzhledem k tomu, že kapr se také dokáže vypořádat s vodou s nízkým obsahem kyslíku, byly vyrobeny pro chov v mělkých rybnících. Mniši začali kolem svých klášterů vytvářet první rybníky. V důsledku toho byly tyto oblasti pečlivě rozšířeny ručně. Dnes je na severu Třeboně a Českého Krumlova, bývalého Krumau, asi 500 rybníků mezi metropolemi Vídně a Prahy.

Biosférická rezervace UNESCO
V průběhu staletí se tato uměle vytvořená krajina stala pouhou divočinou. Rybniční krajina je dnes biosférickou rezervací UNESCO a výjimečným příkladem toho, jak mohou lidé a příroda existovat v harmonii. Zde se rozmnožuje více než 150 druhů ptáků. Všude v Auwildnisu se mladí lidé starají o vrcholky stromů nebo se schovávají v houštinách rákosí.

Malé hořké, drozdnice a marsh harrier najdou ideální podmínky pro chov svých mláďat v rákosové džungli, zatímco modrý sýr se rozmnožuje na přehradách v dubech až 400 let starých. Otevřená voda je oblastí velkého chocholatého potápce, který chová své potomky na hnízdech plavání.
Zde se ukázalo, že chov ryb s mírou a cílem může prospět ptačímu světu. Dokonce i vzácné orly mořské nalezené jinde. Majestátní ptáci jsou závislí na velkých vodních plochách, které jim poskytují dostatečné jídlo. Mozaika rybníků a lesů pro ně vytváří ideální životní prostor. V jižních Čechách se vyvinula stabilní populace. Vydry zde také nacházejí téměř rajské podmínky. Můžete dokonce najít los hluboko v houští. Téměř bez povšimnutí migrovali z Polska na bažinatý jih a dokázali vybudovat úspěšnou populaci. Není divu: přežvýkavci milují trávu, větvičky a listy, stejně jako vodní rostliny. Tato jezírka je jejich Eldorado.

Na podzim je tišší kolem reflexních vodních ploch. Blíží se čas sklizně ryb. Technika rybolovu zůstala po staletí nezměněna, pouze výnos se mnohokrát zvýšil. V současné době tento kraj každoročně produkuje 3 200 tun kaprů na vánoční stůl. Na konci 16. století činila roční sklizeň ryb ve srovnání s 200 tunami. Rybaření také znamená sklizeň ryb pro život ptáků. V koudeli rybářů brodí ptáci svou šanci v mělké vodě a stovky ptáků se nyní shromažďují v několika hlubších kanálech, aby z vody vybrali nejlepší kousky.

[Thomas Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

If a book claims to be a history of a place, then it should at least give the reader decent coverage of the history of that place. But this book fails in that most basic requirement. The author is much more interested in discussing Alfons Mucha and how the Munich Agreement affected this relatively unknown artist than he is in discussing how Czechoslovakia ended up the victim of Hitler. But that fairly well reflects the book as it is more a history of various Czech authors and artists than it is of the Czech people.

The back of the book makes the claim that the book is a "comprehensive history of the Czech people." Unfortunately this is not true. Turn to any page and instead of reading about an event in Czech history, you will read about a sculptor or magazine editor and how they felt about some event that is never actually explained. The book is a struggle to get through if you are not already familiar with the history of Bohemia. If you don't know much about the Slansky trials of the early 1950's, don't expect to know more after reading this book other than what books were banned. And for some unexplained reason, the author decided to end his book in 1960, just before the the reforms that led to the Velvet Revolution. I learned much more about Czech history reading "Under the Cruel Star" than I did reading this book.

Perhaps the book would have been better off described as a review of art and literature in Bohemia up until 1960. At least the book would have been more accurate in its description. After reading this book, I do not feel that I understand the people of the Czech Republic any better than when I started. I can truly say that this is a book that I did not enjoy reading in the least. If ever there was a book that made me feel I wasted my money, this is that book.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the history information, but it delved a little too deeply, for my taste, into details about artistic styles and movements. I absorbed a lot about the politics of the last four or five hundred years around those narratives, but I would have preferred a little less on the artists. I certainly would not have read as far as I did, if I hadn't have been going to Prague this fall.

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course Bohemia doesn't have a coastline despite Shakespeare's assertion of one – but it once did. Sayers' slightly Prague centred cultural history of Bohemia and the Czech lands is rich, elegant, and revealing. I visit the Czech Republic regularly, for work and holidays, and continue to stumble over things that I first read about in this book, and it brings them to life. A big rigorous book.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book telling not only the history of the Czech people but also of their culture and the battles it had to survive Austro-Hungarian, Nazi, and Communist oppression. The book gives one a hugely improved insight into Czech painting and drama, as well as the conflicts with their German, Slovak, and Jewish inhabitants and neighbors. A fascinating read.

[Miriam Fitting]

Dry as dust history of Czech lands until mid 20th century as determined through street name changes, political documents, sentiment due to the author's identification with his Czech

[Angelica]

As someone searching for a good background on Czech history, this book seems to have little to do with the country's history at all. I"m really disappointed.