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Pisár Gráč
266 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1940
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 19, 2020
this book is simply charming, the narrator/protagonist is very likable and that allows the author to cover up any hiccups that may have occurred (I suppose some are indeed there, but since I am - even after second reading - charmed, I fear I am not able to point them out)
the prose, as it unravels, is easy to read, but at times hard to follow due to the (intended) chaotic nature of the narrator and the narration itself - the style of narration still feels very fresh and modern, one can even say post-modern
we as readers learn about the inner world of Jozef Gráč, who works as a scribe, alas, the novel being built upon paradox, he seems to know more about war than this actual work. likewise, the novel is not about the things on surface, rather a commentary on the intricately woven net of relationships and thus leads us to a depiction of the inner struggles of the post-war society (not only struggles directly or indirectly related to the war, but also everyday struggles of ordinary men and women - in this way, it kind of reminds me of the noetic trilogy of Karel Čapek, consisting of novels Hordubal, Povětroň and Obyčejný život)
overall a book that can hit you really hard (yes, even though it was written 80 years ago and talks of an era 100 years ago), but it can sooth you in a way too (maybe that is again just me, since this evokes for me a golden era of Slovak prose, happening between the wars with writers like Ivan Horváth, Milo Urban, František Švantner and, of course, J. C. Hronský)
the prose, as it unravels, is easy to read, but at times hard to follow due to the (intended) chaotic nature of the narrator and the narration itself - the style of narration still feels very fresh and modern, one can even say post-modern
we as readers learn about the inner world of Jozef Gráč, who works as a scribe, alas, the novel being built upon paradox, he seems to know more about war than this actual work. likewise, the novel is not about the things on surface, rather a commentary on the intricately woven net of relationships and thus leads us to a depiction of the inner struggles of the post-war society (not only struggles directly or indirectly related to the war, but also everyday struggles of ordinary men and women - in this way, it kind of reminds me of the noetic trilogy of Karel Čapek, consisting of novels Hordubal, Povětroň and Obyčejný život)
overall a book that can hit you really hard (yes, even though it was written 80 years ago and talks of an era 100 years ago), but it can sooth you in a way too (maybe that is again just me, since this evokes for me a golden era of Slovak prose, happening between the wars with writers like Ivan Horváth, Milo Urban, František Švantner and, of course, J. C. Hronský)
January 2, 2022
Hronský patrí k slovenskej medzivojnovej klasike. Čo som teda za človeka, aby som si ho neprečítala, keď mám možnosť. Príjemný príbeh, no ničím výnimočný. Pre niekoho nudný, pre mňa verný spoločník pred spaním.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews