Prague, I See a City...

by Daniela Hodrová, Rajendra A. Chitnis (Foreword), David Short (Translator)

Prague, I see a city... is a novel of quest, in which the heroine abandons the material world of everyday society and linear history, perceiving it as false, temporary and distracting, and journeys in search of her true identity. Suffused with the atmosphere immediately following the end of the Communist regime, Hodrova's novel is a conscious addition to the tradition of Prague literary texts by, for example, Karel Hynek Macha, Jakub Arbes, Gustav Meyrink, and Franz Kafka, who present the city as a hostile living creature, or as a labyrinthine place of magic and mystery, in which the individual human being may easily get lost. Translated by David Short.

Genres: Czech Literature, Fiction

106 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 2011

About the author

Daniela Hodrová was a Czech writer and literary scholar.

Reviews

[Joseph Schreiber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This "guide book" to Prague (which is an idiosyncratic experiencing of the city written within a year of the Velvet Revolution) stands as a prologue to Daniela Hodrová's monumental trilogy "City of Torment." It was published before the recent complete translation of the trilogy so it could be read first, but it is just as effective (if not more so) read as an extended epilogue. Early in this work Hodrová makes reference to the trilogy, which might not be so meaningful read in advance, but for me this book was the guidebook I longed for as I was making my way through the trilogy and it has greatly enhanced my appreciation of that strange, beguiling volume. Either way, this book is an essential companion to her masterpiece. Those with a greater familiarity with Prague and Czech history will probably find it a keen insight into Hodrová's worldview—I found it to be that and the guidebook I longed for. Fortunately I had an e-book copy I bought years ago and had almost forgotten.
I will write more about this book in an upcoming review of City of Torment.

[Old Man JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've wanted to read something by Daniela Hodrova for quite some time now and this small book is all I've found in translation. It's actually quite good. This is a very poetic, almost dreamlike and surreal essay on Prague. She describes many of the historic sites, mostly churches and cathedrals, of the city weaving in and out of the history of the sites and the people associated with them. It's a very unique but fascinating read that could serve as a visitor guide for anyone hoping to see the city of Prague.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was so perfect after my recent visit to Prague. but if you don't know the city, it's history or the main historical/ cultural characters then you will probably not enjoy this book.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This "alternative guidebook" was commissioned by a French company as part of a series of artistic explorations of various European cities. It was published in French in 1991 and then in its original Czech as Město vidím... in 1992. According to Rajendra A. Chitnis's foreword, Hodrová's goal is to "impart the sensation of things as they are perceived and not as they are known," which she achieves by conceiving of Prague history not as a linear progression but as a cycle of events and personalities continuously layering upon one another. Ponders Hodrová:

In his Experimental Psychology, Břetislav Kafka writes of the separate envelope around the Earth made up of the feelings, thoughts, memories of all people, living and long dead. And is there not a similar envelope around cities as well? And is it not made up of the fates of their numberless inhabitants, but also of all the myths and prophecies connected with the city and all the texts ever written about it, and even - if we admit existence of black holes and time warps - those which have yet to be written about it? And this will be, or actually already has been, joined by this text... A text about the theatre of the city which will be another variant on the città dolente, a city of torment, theme.

As someone who generally skims guidebooks, I found this esoteric approach far more engaging than a simple recitation of facts. One of my favorite authors, Michal Ajvaz, also portrays Prague as a sort of wonderland and I think his novels The Other City and Empty Streets make for good companion reads for this work.

[oblakaknihahlavavnich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krátký text, který si ale zaslouží čas a trpělivého čtenáře, který nahlédne i kamsi za...
Tohle bylo v rámci prózy mé první setkání s autorkou a já jsem vůbec nevěděla, co očekávat. Velmi příjemně mě překvapila.
Krátké texty věnující se městu Praze z různých úhlů pohledu a v různých časových obdobích - vše se prolíná a prostupuje, občas nic nedává smysl a zároveň je to naprosto logické. Za malým množstvím textu se zde skrývá něco mnohem většího, komplexnějšího.
Je to neskutečně zvláštní a originální knížečka, ke které se v budoucnu ráda vrátím.
A myslím si, že pro "pražského" čtenáře bude kniha ještě o stupeň lepším zážitkem!

[Wimdeklonia]

Was mij te moeilijk

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniela Hodrova’s, Prague: I See a City, is an astonishing dream-like version of a travel guide. Prague today is a shiny cosmopolitan city, very beautiful and comfortable. When Hodrova was offered a chance to write a new kind of travel guide, she created a masterpiece of avant-garde tourism.
Hodrova’s writing is hypnotic. The reader is led deftly between “real city” descriptions, memories, fantasies, and a (deliberately) confused combination of all of these. Her extraordinary journey exposes the legend behind the concrete Prague. I would say this is a travel guide for those who have already experienced Prague in the flesh. Having an idea of the places she mentions makes this magical trip comprehensible.
The protagonist is Hodrova. She takes a walk through the areas of the city that are famous, Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, Mala Strana, The Castle, and so on. As she moves through town she also moves through history, running into historical figures such as Jan Hus, the great church protestor, which then bleeds into a memory of her at his statue in Old Town Square during a Communist demonstration. Throughout the book she runs into a little old gypsy lady with a buggy and a doll, which in Hodrova’s mind is none other than the little wax Infant Jesus of Prague that is a cherished holding of the Carmelite church of Our Lady Victorious. These are the types of sequences that make up this little tome.
Another trope Hodrova uses is Ordeal by air, water and land. Her character explores the famous buildings, the river, and the underground passages, cellars and sewers. Trial by Ordeal haunted accused people throughout the Middle Ages, and usually ended badly for the person who underwent it. If you died, then you were seen as innocent and would go to heaven, if you survived then it meant you had Satanic help, and you were condemned. Hodrova’s modernized take on the Ordeal leads her to confront the city that she loves, but is tormented by. And the reader goes on this journey with her, and in the end Prague, and Hodrova are redeemed.
This almost mystical read is lovingly written with gorgeous prose. I recommend it to those who want to get a feel for Prague’s history and secrets. It is a city full of contradictions and passions. Hodrova’s intimate presentation of Prague is a gift to the city and its inhabitants, throughout time. I can’t help but wonder if she wrote it for Czechs to look at their own city through a tourist’s eyes.

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating journey, a quest, through this most glorious of cities. The author peels back the temporal layers to reveal the many ages of Prague. Quite magnificent.