The Bitter Life of Božena Němcová: A Biographical Collage

by Kelcey Parker Ervick

Artistic, rebellious, and unapologetically intelligent, Božena Němcová defied every convention for a woman in mid-nineteenth-century Bohemia: she was active in nationalist politics, she smoked cigars, she took a series of lovers, and she laid bare her ideas and emotions in her letters and stories. The Bitter Life of Božena Němcová is a biographical collage of found texts, footnotes, fragments, and images by and about the Czech fairy tale writer, whom Milan Kundera calls the “Mother of Czech Prose.” Kelcey Parker Ervick’s innovative collage form, with its many voices and viewpoints, questions the concept of biographical “truth” while also revealing a nuanced and spellbinding portrait of Němcová. Inspired by Němcová’s letters, the book’s second section, “Postcards to Božena” is Parker Ervick’s epistolary memoir of her own failing marriage, her quest for a Czech typewriter, and a meditation on reading, writing, and happy endings. The two sections combine to create a book as defiant, enchanting, and complex as its namesake.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Czech Literature, Biography, Poetry

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2016

About the author

Kelcey Ervick is a writer who started drawing. Growing up, she was a goalkeeper in the early years of Title IX. Today she is the author and illustrator of the forthcoming graphic memoir, THE KEEPER (Avery Books/Penguin, Sept. 2022). She lives on the banks of the St. Joseph River and is a professor of English and creative writing at Indiana University South Bend.

Reviews

[Melanie Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

My full review is now up at Grab the Lapels! Here's an excerpt:

The Bitter Life of Božena Němcová: A Biographical Collage is organized beautifully and helpfully. In “Introduction: This Is Not a Biography,” Parker Ervick explains her obsession with Božena Němcová, a Czech fairy tale writer from the 1840s who influenced Kafka. Parker Ervick began visiting Prague in 2003 and has been back many times, seeking not only to find all things Němcová, but her extended family. Due to political and historical factors, Němcová’s writing has remained largely untranslated, and thus unknown to English language readers.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read all of Parker's books, and this one is my absolute favorite. Not only does Parker capture what makes Němcová's story so fascinating, she also shares with readers the very personal and moving story of her marriage and divorce. I'll be honest, I was intrigued by Němcová's story, but it was Parker's own story that made the book unputdownable. So much so that I'd love to see her write an expanded version of her memoir. I believe anyone who has been in a relationship that has failed (and haven't we all?) will relate in a big way, and those who have gone through a divorce will feel like they are looking in the mirror. I recommend this book to everyone.

[l · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love her!

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a work of art in multiple ways. A beautifully unique exploration of identity, self, and a search for who the mysterious "mother of Czech prose" really was. The mosaic style of the book stunningly captures the splatter of information available about a woman who readily and consistently defies explanation. In an age where information is typically at our behest, this book reminds me that there are still mysteries to be solved, but also that not finding the answers can lead to incredible beauty -- that there is magic in the white space.

I'm one of those people who fell in love with Prague for its architecture, or really for the winding meander of the streets that never seemed to lead me where I intended to go, but rather took me where I needed to go. Now, I feel like I should try falling for the literature as well.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this gorgeous book about 19th century Czech novelist Bozena Nemcova -- a biographical collage assembled of excerpts from Nemcova's own writing (fairy tales, a novel, and her letters) and excerpts of essays and books about her, plus Kelcey Parker Ervick's visual collages of postcards, photographs and found images. I hadn't heard of Nemcova before reading this book, didn't know of her powerful influence on Kafka and Kundera, who called her "the mother of Czech prose." The book's second half consists of Parker Ervick's postcards to Nemcova, musing on marriage, reading, and letters both alphabetical and epistolary. It's a haunting story, beautifully told.

[Kristin Czarnecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bitter Life of Božena Němcová: A Biographical Collage is a beautiful book in which Ervick's fascination with 19th-century woman writer Božena Němcová unfolds alongside the story of her (Ervick's) divorce. Part biography, part fiction, part memoir, part epistolary, and enhanced by the Ervick's own evocative art, this book is a treasure: original, creative, and moving, infused with the author's curiosity, wit, and multifold talents.

[Clemente_in_right · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was unfamiliar with Nemcova and her influence on many Czech writers. As I read through this, I was continually struck by the immense effort and passion required of Parker Ervick to write about Nemcova. It's one thing to write a biography (especially one of such creative form) of a relatively unknown author. It's quite another thing to do so when some of that author's work and a lot of the words written about her have not been translated from a foreign language that you don't speak or read. Kudos to Parker Ervick for immersing herself in the subject and the culture. That effort and passion has allowed her to illuminate Nemcova's life and struggles in a fascinating manner.

[Jennifer Pullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange and beautiful genre bending book about an important and under appreciated proto-feminist fairy tale writer.

[Liz Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

I actually ended up loving the postcard section at the end, but otherwise this form of biography isn’t rlly my thing personally

[R.l. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want something beautiful, you need this book. Coming in November from Rose Metal Press, The Bitter Life of Božena Němcová, by Kelcey Parker Ervick, is as lovely to look at as it is to read. From its gorgeous cover, to the found pieces inside and the postcards from the author, arranged and presented in this collage-like form, this was a sort of hybrid, biography within a biography, a picture of not only the Czech fairy tale writer, Božena Němcová, but also of the author. A work of art, beautifully done. I highly recommend The Bitter Life of Božena Němcová to all my writer and artist friends. I know that you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

*I am grateful to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The rating of this book is almost pointless since it is so unique. Certainly it should get 5 stars for originality; and as an object it is gorgeous; and finally it pushes one to want to delve into both her writings and a fuller understanding of her life.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully curated collection of snapshots into the life of an extremely under appreciated female author.

[Emily Shearer]

So original in format and material. I admire Kelcey's commitment to this obscure Czech writer with whom she closely identified and formed a friendship. It must not have been easy to dig through all the research, all the while passionately sensing the well-merited indignation that this once-darling but nigh-forgotten and overlooked writer was not recognized for her contribution to the canon of literature and women to look to for guidance both in letters and in life. The second part of the book, more personal, was more enjoyable than the historically laden "poems" of the first part but overall a worthwhile read, even more worthwhile for this czechophile who actually was familiar with Nemcova and her "bitter life."