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Nuda v Čechách
This novel about conflicts of conscience explores an unusual love triangle of a man, a woman, and the Czech countryside. Mikula must now make a decision between her and his homeland. Filled with striking images, fresh metaphors, and colorful language, this beautiful, reflective novel examines both the spiritual limitations imposed by communism and a life abandoned and started anew.
- GenresCzech Literature
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
catbird
August 11, 2015I am the translator of Living Parallel, which is now being made available free in three e-book formats. It is a contemplative novel about conflicts of conscience, in the spiritual more than the political sense, and it is therefore of equal relevance here and now as it was in Czechoslovakia under communism. It is a melancholic reflection on how to live so that one's life has meaning.
But most of all, Living Parallel is a work of beauty. It is filled with striking images, fresh metaphors, and colorful language. Kliment is so highly respected among Czech writers, that when we asked Ivan Klíma for a blurb, he sent an entire foreword. It is the author's artistry that makes this novel worth reading long after the political situation has improved.
Here’s how Klíma described Kliment’s style in this novel: “Kliment's way of telling a story is very special and original. It consists of a continuous alternation of motifs: he jumps from intensely told episodes to lyrical passages about the countryside, and then on to reflections about beauty, ecology, and baroque architecture. He even tries to render dramatic moments in images that defuse their drama, to render drama with the remoteness of a dream.”
For more about the novel, see the book page on the Catbird Press website.
But most of all, Living Parallel is a work of beauty. It is filled with striking images, fresh metaphors, and colorful language. Kliment is so highly respected among Czech writers, that when we asked Ivan Klíma for a blurb, he sent an entire foreword. It is the author's artistry that makes this novel worth reading long after the political situation has improved.
Here’s how Klíma described Kliment’s style in this novel: “Kliment's way of telling a story is very special and original. It consists of a continuous alternation of motifs: he jumps from intensely told episodes to lyrical passages about the countryside, and then on to reflections about beauty, ecology, and baroque architecture. He even tries to render dramatic moments in images that defuse their drama, to render drama with the remoteness of a dream.”
For more about the novel, see the book page on the Catbird Press website.
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November 4, 2015Living Parallel
At his best, Alexandr Kliment's writing is reminiscent at times of Nezval's or, at others, of Kundera's.
Living Parallel does meander a bit while the narrator fails to commit to life or love, though it's wonderful when we stumble with him upon some salient observation of the human experience.
I liked the translation and really enjoyed the translator's foreward. By the time I reached the final pages, I was wishing for some variation of the phrase "blue spectrum" and there were some some cringe-worthy passages describing sexual congress, These "problems" were most likely part of the original text and no less faithfully transcribed into English.
If for nothing else, Living Parallel should be read for it's description of the erection, existence, and then, destruction of the Prague Stalin monument. The perspective of an architect adds a new dimension to the levels of oppression wrought by the Communist regimes in eastern Europe.
At his best, Alexandr Kliment's writing is reminiscent at times of Nezval's or, at others, of Kundera's.
Living Parallel does meander a bit while the narrator fails to commit to life or love, though it's wonderful when we stumble with him upon some salient observation of the human experience.
I liked the translation and really enjoyed the translator's foreward. By the time I reached the final pages, I was wishing for some variation of the phrase "blue spectrum" and there were some some cringe-worthy passages describing sexual congress, These "problems" were most likely part of the original text and no less faithfully transcribed into English.
If for nothing else, Living Parallel should be read for it's description of the erection, existence, and then, destruction of the Prague Stalin monument. The perspective of an architect adds a new dimension to the levels of oppression wrought by the Communist regimes in eastern Europe.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews