I Am Snowing: The Confessions Of A Woman of Prague

by Pavel Kohout

This picaresque story, set in modern-day Prague, is an "invariably lively, often funny" (Washington Post) portrait of a nation in transition, a stylish combination of political allegory and whodunit. Translated by Neil Bermel. Harvest in Translation series

Genres: Czech Literature, Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Pavel Kohout is a Czech and Austrian novelist, playwright, and poet. He was a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, a Prague Spring exponent and dissident in the 1970s until he was expelled to Austria. He was a founding member of the Charter 77 movement.

Reviews

[Katie B · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s hard for a slut in the Eastern bloc

[Czarny Pies · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am Snowing: The Confessions of Prague addresses a major issue of those who had the experience of first having lived in a communist country where police informers were everywhere and then experienced the ghastly process of seeing the the informers denounced later in an irregular fashion that depended on the advantages being pursued by those who acquired control of the police archives afterwards. Unfortunately , Pavel Kohout's "I am Snowing" steadily degenerates into a tedious bore that fails to engage even those who are very interested in the topic.

I am one of those interested in the issue of police spying conducted on civilians. However, I found earlier readings by authors such as Nobel Laureate Herta Muller, (Land of Green Plums) and Joseph Skvorecky (Two Murders in my Double Life and Headed for the Blues). Finally George Weigel in the second volume of his biography of John Paul II provides an extensive analysis of how the Vatican was infiltrated in the second half of the 20th century told me more about this topic than did Kohout.

No matter what one's level of interest in the topic is, on I am Snowing is rather a dreadful read. Like John Le Carré, Kohout creates a very complex story of the spying. Then, he comes up with a second equallly convoluted tale about how the truth leaked out. In other words, Kohout tells two different stories within a single work. This might work for a history book but it is exasperating whenever one encounters it in a novel. For whatever the reason however the twists and turns simply go on for too long.

A second problem lies in the highly complex romantic life of the protagonist which is treated at such length that it detracts from the primary focus of the work. I did however feel Kohout was right to devote a great deal of time to the protagonist's poisonous relation with her daughter. In this area, Kohout reinforces the point made in Neither Angels nor Saints how the oppressive Stalinist regimes were able to poison relations between mother and daughter.

Despite, the occasional good moment, I find that I am Snowing offers the reader much less than do the works by Muller, Skvorecky, or Klima. I suggest sampling these authors before taking on this dismal work.

[Troy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is basically a detective noir written from the point of view of the femme fatale, but a femme fatale who's middle aged. And it's more of a mad cap detective story, whose absurdity lessens the noir aspects, and whose slice of life characteristics downplay the detective story.

Anyway, Petra is our heroine, and she's a sharp and uncompromising fading beauty with a trail of lovers, and one true love, who reemerge into her present.

Communist Czechoslovakia has just fallen, but the new regime, part of the new capitalist gloryland, looks pretty shitty as well. Petra and her friends had a hard time as radicals under the Stalinist state, but they're still having a hard time, and her former lovers who are successful seem like sleazy sell-outs.

Now the love of her life is back and he needs Petra to help clear his name. He wants to be part of the new Czechoslovakia, but he's accused of being a fake dissident and worse, a traitor. His enemies are claiming that he was secretly working for the secret police.

Who is framing the love of her life? Is it one of her ex lovers?

On top of those problems, Petra is dealing with an annoying young co-worker who is trying to hook up with her, but... he's also eager to help out, so maybe he's ok. He's into this new computer thing. And there's her punk daughter (in both senses of the word) who is never home and always in trouble. Oh, and Petra's trying, oh so hard, to be a good Catholic.

It's a decent novel but in the end goes through the tired old notions of "women are better because they're secretly tougher and more pure," which is one of the few times when I thought, oh yeah, this is written by a man. And somehow Petra gets a pass for her "purity" and "uncompromising stance" even though she is a shit whose insecurity, bad decisions, and coldness fucked over a lot of her lovers' lives. And in the end, the book veers into the impossible detective noir realm with too many perfectly connected story strands and a pat and easy ending.

The writer is attempting literature but ends up with a occasionally funny detective story that's also about the plight of late communist Czechoslovakia and it's entrapment between U.S. capitalism and Stalinist communism (and Catholicism as well).

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing mystery story set in Prague about a single mother and the identities of her two ex-lovers, with a sideshow from the daughter and her boyfriend. The narrator has a somehow very original voice, brash and self-confident, almost vulgar. The men are shadows in comparison, all wrapped up in various, often confusing political intrigues concerning the Russian occupation and independence. The ending is a little loose, the car accident serving to avoid some explanation, but this is an entertaining read with a lively main character. 6

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, my foggy/forgetful brain in regards to historical/political events was a hindrance here! However, the writing is so evocative, and the characters are so rich and alive, I really liked this book. It probably offers many more levels of meaning for more politically-inclined people...

I selected this book off the shelf at the main library in Manhattan, because I liked the title.

[Dymbula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Velké zklamání. Stále nemůžu uvěřit, že román napsal můj oblíbený spisovatel. Přečetl jsem to s vypětím všech sil, trápily mě závorky ve větách - byly skoro v každé větě - pravda, trošku přeháním, ale závorkama se stal příběh nepřehledný a čtení únavné. Bohužel, až pár vět v doslovu to byl zase starý dobrý Pavel Kohout.