On Flying Objects

by Emil Hakl, Karen Reppin (Translator), Petr Kopet (Translator)

A prostitute wakes up one morning to discover her boyfriend has tattooed obscene messages all over her body... A woman tentatively goes back to her new boyfriend’s flat, only to find it packed with toy soldiers and intricately reconstructed war scenes... A retired pilot flaunts his wealth by keeping pets in the lap of luxury — a gold chain for his goat, even stranger indulgences for his dog... The men in Emil Hakl’s fiction are, like the title of one story, oddballs. Whether evading the expectations of adult life, or finding themselves drawn to characters they’re simultaneously repulsed by, each one holds a mirror up to the peculiar failings of masculinity. But as they carouse, argue, philosophise and binge their way through the streets of Prague, they also offer the reader stark moments of insight and pathos. Given Hakl’s flair for the surreal, his laconic sense of humour, and unflinching scrutiny of those closest to him, it’s easy to see how these stories have elevated him to the status of cult hero in his native Czech Republic. Early 'Hakl's downbeat humour never flags, often tied to flashes of lyricism... Co-translators Petr Kopet and Karen Reppin capture the tarnished tenderness of these superfluous men as, inevitable as winter twilights or morning hangovers, "Sadness arrived, the king of all emotions".' - The Independent. ‘Europe is heavy with history in these stories and the traces left by cataclysm and upheaval — these are present in these tales, and yet coexist with a kind of wry and knowing playfulness.’ — AS Byatt, The Times

Genres: Short Stories

134 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Pen name of Jan Beneš

Reviews

[Jakub Kratochvil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nádhera. Perfektné. Krásne. Takéto písania. a pred ním pozorovanie, či prežívanie mám rád.

[Rob Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a few Comma Press titles and they have invariably been of a very high standard. They are a very strong contender for the best supporter of the short story in British publishing today. I have not yet read the original of this book but I have reason to suspect that the translation is patchy and very sloppy in places. Certainly the English grammar is kooky at best, jarringly incorrect at worst, as the grammatical idiosyncracies of the Czech language have been transferred rather than translated into English. In one place, the name of a huge company in the Czech republic is incorrect, seemingly because the nominative case form of a noun which would have been in the instrumental in the text, has been guessed rather than looked up. Footnoting is rather arbitrary and can be more of a distraction than a help. Despite all this, some of the storytelling is fine. I would recommend the book, but not as highly as I would recommend some of the other Comma titles I have come across. See, for example, The Madman of Freedom Square and I Love You When I'm Drunk.

[Dáša Beníšková · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emil pod čtyry hvězdy zkrátka nedostává.

[Gretel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately these strange characters were lost on me.