Toward the Radical Center: A Karel Capek Reader

by Karel Čapek, Peter Kussi (Editor), Arthur Miller (Foreward)

Capek's best plays, stories, and columns take us from the social contributions of clumsy people to dramatic meditations on mortality and commitment. The Reader includes a new and, at last, complete English translation of R.U.R. , the play that introduced the literary robot.

Genres: Fiction, Czech Literature, Short Stories, Literature, Science Fiction, Essays, Plays

416 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1990

About the author

Karel Čapek is one of the the most influential Czech writers of the 20th century. He wrote with intelligence and humour on a wide variety of subjects. His works are known for their interesting and precise descriptions of reality, and Čapek is renowned for his excellent work with the Czech language. His play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) first popularized the word "robot".

(Arabic: كارل تشابك) (Hebrew: קארל צ'אפק) (Japanese: 카렐 차페크) (Russian: Карел Чапек)

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dipped into this primarily to finally read R.U.R., which many of you might know as the source of the concept of 'robot', but after enjoying the heck out of that, I sallied forth to read through the other selections. Mind, this reader has both fiction and non-fiction, but the latter is just as enjoyable as the former.
Čapek is one of those singular odd-birds, an imaginative and funny author who makes much out of the unintentional humor of our often ridiculous existences. He likes to take on the questionable nature of innovation especially technology (as in R.U.R. and the hilarious essay on his Swedish vacuum cleaner) but also ideas and philosophies which he didn't seem to have much use for. I can highlight the outstanding short story "Footprint" (here in two different versions) as an example of his practical, middle-of-the-road approach to dumb, old humanity.

[Jimmie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was a great collection of Karel Čapek's work. Having spent time in the Czech Republic, I've gotten quite used to the Czech sense of humor. I generally figured it had something to do with living through and facing up to Communism but now I see it goes even further back. Čapek's plays and short stories were thoughtful, socially critical, and would probably sometimes be downright offensive to those who are a bit too sensitive or close-minded. However, I thought they were also thoroughly entertaining as long as you can appreciate a dry sense of humor.

The collection begins with two very thought-provoking plays. The first, Rossum's Universal Robots, is hilariously written and has clearly become the basis for nearly every sci-fi movie involving robots or the end of the world.

It then ends with The Mother, a play which makes one think about wars, the reasons for them, the reasons those who fight in them do, and the sacrifices everyone makes for them whether knowingly or not.

I highly recommend this collection, if only to get you wanting to read more of Čapek's work. I know I do.

[Tamar Nagel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karel Čapek is always wonderful. Satirical without being cynical, melancholy with a hopeful, optimistic look forward, he writes with a wide and deep historical wisdom echoing throughout his work. And for all the complexity of the themes, background references, and emotions, he has such a clear and unaffected style. I very much enjoyed this collection of plays, feuilletons, and short stories. I reread R.U.R., which in the rise of AI these days feels ever more prescient... it's not particularly scientific, but the reflections on motivations and what feels like an inevitable use of 'progress' for destruction are both modern and ancient.

The play "Mother" is dark and desperate, ending with the final sacrificial lamb sent away to certain death, but with the understanding that there are some evils that must be fought at all costs.

A love for mystery and the ultimate impossibility of full understanding and clarity as a human permeate this little collection, from the wonderful double-sided 'footprint' stories to his reflections on a vacuum cleaner. It's the kind of daydreaming and contemplation of the mundane (or not-so-mundane) that I respect most.

[Xinyan Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this collection really showcases, i think, čapek's intellectual breadth. his wit shines through, and his plays, while varied in their subject matter, are almost shakespearean in their construction and always gives one something to chew on. i particularly liked his short stories, especially "the stamp collection" and "the blue chrysanthemum."

[Denise Barney · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading "R.U.R.-8?" by Suzanne Palmer in the September/October 2018 issue of "Asimov's Science Fiction," I decided it was high time to read "R.U.R." by Karel Capek. This is the play that gave artificial men the name "robot," from the Czech word "robota," meaning heavy labor. "R.U.R" stands for "Rossum's Universal Robots," the name of the manufacturer.

Finding a copy of this play in the library was a bit of a challenge, however. There are many "adaptations" of "R.U.R.," but I wanted the complete version. I received more than I bargained for with this edition, a Garrigue Book by Catbird Press. Turns out Garrigue Books is dedicated to publishing definitive English translations of Czech authors (Garrigue was the middle name of the President of the Czech Republic after WWI, T.G. Masaryk). Besides "R.U.R.," this edition has Mr. Capek's play, "The Mother," and Act II from the play, "The Life of the Insects." Additionally, there are several of Mr. Capek's essays and "vignettes," for want of a better word.

Mr. Capek's characters are, for the most part, ordinary people who find themselves in strange circumstances. There is a certain irony to his stories, reminiscent in some ways of O. Henry. But his play, "The Mother," and his essay, "At the Crossroads of Europe," are quite poignant, especially since "At the Crossroads of Europe" was published just months before Hitler invaded the Sudentenland region of Czechoslovakia. "The Mother" deals with conflict between a son's (or a husband's) feeling of honor and duty and a mother's desire to keep her loved one(s) home and safe.

There is much to reflect and digest in Mr. Capek's writings--I may have to buy a copy of this for myself, to dip into again and again. His writing is poetic and descriptive, optimistic and yet fatalistic at the same time--at least, based on these translations. Well worth the time and effort!

[Saravana Sastha Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karel Capek at his best although must give equally good credit to the translator. In particular, the drama 'The Mother' is just too good. Asserts my belief that Karel Capek was among the finest authors in the world.

[Peveril · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixed bag of plays, short stories and feuilletons. Not everything is excellent, but a very worthwhile selection of Capek's writing.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid collection of Karel Capek's writing that included plays, short fiction, and non-fiction essays. The book opens with R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), which is probably the piece he's most well-known for in the U.S because it's the origin of the word "robot." Several other pieces stuck out to me:The Five Loaves (a short story focused on a baker/bread-seller during Jesus' miracle of the loaves and fishes); Goodwill (an essay focused on the importance of truly civil discourse); Let's Be Revolutionary (an essay that appears to be his response to the political forces who admonished him for not being Left enough nor Right enough).

Overall, the works are imbued with the wry humor and intelligence that I expect from Capek. His writing is approachable and he makes even the weightiest subjects feel accessible. (The translations in this collection are excellent!) Although the pieces in this book were all written almost a century ago, they read like they could have been written today -- and their messages are still relevant.

[Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked up a copy of this book in Prague and have been sampling from it for months. Capek had long been on my to-read list. I had known of his R.U.R. (in which the word 'robot' was coined), but I had no idea that he was such a versatile writer. He reminds me of Kafka...at times haunting and always illuminating. Unlike his fellow countryman however, Capek has a great amount of hope and humor. This seems to be a solid translation and a diverse anthology.

[Katrinka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of the individual stories and/or plays in this volume receive a higher-than-three rating. Good stuff overall.

[Norman Howe]

Science-Fiction