Vita Nuova: A Novel

trilogie #1

by Bohumil Hrabal, Tony Liman (Translator)

Vita Nuova is the second in a trilogy of memoirs written from the perspective

of Bohumil Hrabal’s wife, Elis.ka, about their life in Prague

from the 1950s to the 1970s, when Communist repression of artists was

at its peak.

Hrabal’s inimitable humor, which in Elis.ka’s ruminations ranges

from bawdy slapstick to cutting irony, is all the more penetrating for

being directed at himself. Vita Nuova showcases Hrabal’s legendary

bohemian intellectual life, particularly his relationship with Vladimír

Boudník. Hrabal creates a shrewd, lively portrait of Eastern European

intellectual life in the mid-twentieth century.

Genres: Czech Literature, Fiction

233 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Born in Brno-Židenice, Moravia, he lived briefly in Polná, but was raised in the Nymburk brewery as the manager's stepson.

Hrabal received a Law degree from Prague's Charles University, and lived in the city from the late 1940s on.

He worked as a manual laborer alongside Vladimír Boudník in the Kladno ironworks in the 1950s, an experience which inspired the "hyper-realist" texts he was writing at the time.

His best known novels were Closely Watched Trains (1965) and I Served the King of England. In 1965 he bought a cottage in Kersko, which he used to visit till the end of his life, and where he kept cats ("kočenky").

He was a great storyteller; his popular pub was At the Golden Tiger (U zlatého tygra) on Husova Street in Prague, where he met the Czech President Václav Havel, the American President Bill Clinton and the then-US ambassador to the UN Madeleine Albright on January 11th, 1994.

Several of his works were not published in Czechoslovakia due to the objections of the authorities, including The Little Town Where Time Stood Still (Městečko, kde se zastavil čas) and I Served the King of England (Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále).

He died when he fell from a fifth floor hospital where he was apparently trying to feed pigeons. It was noted that Hrabal lived on the fifth floor of his apartment building and that suicides by leaping from a fifth-floor window were mentioned in several of his books.

He was buried in a family grave in the cemetery in Hradištko. In the same grave his mother "Maryška", step father "Francin", uncle "Pepin", wife "Pipsi" and brother "Slávek" were buried.

He wrote with an expressive, highly visual style, often using long sentences; in fact his work Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age (1964) (Taneční hodiny pro starší a pokročilé) is made up of just one sentence. Many of Hrabal's characters are portrayed as "wise fools" - simpletons with occasional or inadvertent profound thoughts - who are also given to coarse humour, lewdness, and a determination to survive and enjoy oneself despite harsh circumstances. Political quandaries and their concomitant moral ambiguities are also a recurrent theme.

Along with Jaroslav Hašek, Karel Čapek, and Milan Kundera - who were also imaginative and amusing satirists - he is considered one of the greatest Czech writers of the 20th century. His works have been translated into 27 languages.

Reviews

[Vasko Genev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Пристрастен съм към писането на Храбал.

Тази втора част е в стил "continuous line drawing". Привидно всичко е едно изречение. За този "прийом" Храбал пише в самото начало на книгата:

Now as I finish Vita Nuova a text I wrote in one long inhalation and exhalation I realize the fundamentals of diagonal reading I realize that for a crosswise probe of the pages the eyes and mind do not require punctuation I realize that not just I but millions of readers are able to skim the pages of a long novel or a newspaper slowing only when the brain signals there is something worthy of attention and there they stop for a while to read horizontally ... Before resuming the diagonal reading ... I allowed myself the luxury for different reasons than Joyce whose morning monologue of Mrs. Molly Bloom was written without punctuation a sort of Schlummerlied an inner monologue that like Earth Gaia neither knows nor needs to know punctuation or grammar... I allowed myself the luxury of diagonal reading a priori because I used the same method to read my past to draw on the deep-seated memories of my life which I then transferred to the page ... I think I can liken this crosswise probe into my subconscious and beyond to the unexpected discoveries made by Mr. Barrande when he built the Prague railroad to his find of trilobites in the diagonal layers of rock.. and so too in the diagonal reading one finds an impression of oneself...

Истории в историите. Разбира се и трите книги са написани под формата на личен дневник, през "погледа" на Елишка.

Всичко се развива в т.нар. "следвоенен период".

Първи сблъсък със соц цензурата. Смахнати срещи с поети и художници, интересен и постоянен професионален "конфликт" с художника Vladimír Boudník.
Изключително комични моменти.

В тази част Храбал напуска мястото за рециклиране на хартия (пункт за вторични суровини) и започва работа като сценичен работник. Освен, че времето му е ограничено, сам той има твърде странни претенции за "момент и място на писане", попада в цикъла на едно постоянно отлагане...

Период, в който Прага се променя пред очите им: събарят се стари сгради, еврейският квартал е разчистен, еврейското гробище е засипано с тонове пръст от унищожен хълм..., да се чудиш, кой точно е победителят в тази война?

Извадил съм много цитати и някой ден ще ги организирам, за да ги споделя.

[Кремена Михайлова · Rating 5 out of 5]

Бохумил ХРАБАЛ.

Вода. Слънце. Деца.
Ех, и бира.
Писане.
Тъга.
Важна глава за Холокоста.

…But my husband had a rather different take on children It killed him to watch them play with their plastic revolvers and their plastic rifles and their plastic machine guns…

… my husband loved children but was afraid that any child of his might be an idiot…

… I just couldn’t get the chill out I felt so sorry not just for what happened to the Jews but for all people who are beaten down and humiliated and vanquished…

… isn’t it worth the risk to write your ten or twenty books… what are you waiting for?

… he hated introductions despised it when someone grabbed his hand…

… And when we were out for a walk in Liben my husband always crossed to the side of the street the sun was on And when we rode the tram he always sat by the window with the sunshine and it was the same thing on the train…

… down the steps and to the river splashing water on his face he couldn’t pass a pond or a river or a stream without wetting his face and washing his hands it was like he was tasting the water with his face…

…what is Rome to a good Catholic and what is Moscow to a good communist is what Pilsen is to a good beer drinker…

… writing struck fear into him and that he didn’t believe in himself…

* Пипси е работила в хотел Палас, където без малко да работя и аз.:)

[Кремена Михайлова · Rating 5 out of 5]

Бохумил ХРАБАЛ.

Вода. Слънце. Деца.
Ех, и бира.
Писане.
Тъга.
Важна глава за Холокоста.

…But my husband had a rather different take on children It hilled him to watch them play with their plastic revolvers and their plastic rifles and their plastic machine guns…

… my husband loved children but was afraid that any child of his might be an idiot…

… I just couldn’t get the chill out I felt so sorry not just for what happened to the Jews but for all people who are beaten down and humiliated and vanquished…

… isn’t it worth the risk to write your ten or twenty books… what are you waiting for?

… he hated introductions despised it when someone grabbed his hand…

… And when we were out for a walk in Liben my husband always crossed to the side of the street the sun was on And when we rode the tram he always sat by the window with the sunshine and it was the same thing on the train…

… down the steps and to the river splashing water on his face he couldn’t pass a pond or a river or a stream without wetting his face and washing his hands it was like he was tasting the water with his face…

…what is Rome to a good Catholic and what is Moscow to a good communist is what Pilsen is to a good beer drinker…

… writing struck fear into him and that he didn’t believe in himself…

* Пипси е работила в хотел Палас, където без малко да работя и аз.:)

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's funny to me that with all of the works that get chosen to translate of Hrabal's, it's the most difficult and least appealing to a reader. For example, this one doesn't have a single period, so reading it can feel a bit clausterphobic because you're trapped in the boxes of the paragraph - afraid to look away to let your eyes rest because who knows if your eyes will find where they left off... That said, Hrabal is as charming and wonderful in this as most of his other work. This volume of his autobiographical trilogy focuses on his group of artistic ramblers, 'Number Ones', who cause much more trouble for Hrabal's wife (the narrator) than they're worth. This may be more for the devoted to Hrabal, which is too bad because had he written this after his anti-punctuation phase this would have been enjoyed by a great many more.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vita Nuova navazuje na první díl trilogie a zachycuje období od Hrabalovy svatby až po jeho spisovatelské počátky - práci na první knížce: Inzerát na dům ...

Opět je to typicky hrabalovské čtení, takový ten proud volně navazujících myšlenek. Formálně se oproti Svatbám v domě liší tím, že Hrabal zde vynechává veškerou interpunkci, text neobsahuje žádné čárky ani tečky a dlouhé souvislé pasáže jsou bez jakéhokoli členění, přerušované jen zřídka, zhruba tak po 10 až 15 stránkách odstavcem. Což odpovídá obvyklému členění do kapitol. Zpočátku mi chvilku trvalo, než jsem si na to zvykl, ale posléze mi tento způsob psaní přišel zajímavý.

Zatímco Svatby v domě mají spád a přečetl jsem je jedním dechem, tady jsem se ke čtení občas musel malinko přemlouvat. A i když Vita Nuova je určitě zajímavá kniha a líbila se mi, přesto si myslím, že Svatby v domě jsou lepší.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favorite Hrabal book. In this continuation of his autobiography, as told from the point of his wife, Eliska, we get much more of what it took for Hrabal to become a professional writer, and the many fears that impeded him on his way. Hrabal struggles with cowardice when confronted with authority and rules and his pathetic need to be admired and liked, but his irrepressible love for the variety of life, particularly the sad, neglected, and downtrodden, elevate him out of the ordinary.

[Jacqueline Wagenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ето че излезе на български „Vita Nuova“ от Бохумил Храбал – недостижим алхимик на словото, един от най-великите писатели на XX век. Преводът на българското издание е дело на Васил Самоковлиев, а художник на корицата е Иво Рафаилов.

„Vita Nuova“ е втората книга от автобиографичната трилогия на Храбал (включваща още „Сватби в къщата“ и „Пролуки“), в която писателят разказва живота си през погледа на съпругата си Елишка (Пипси). Написан без точки и запетаи, сякаш за време, „колкото едно дълбоко поемане на дъх”, романът е своеобразен монолог, в чийто център са писателската страст на Храбал и митичният му бохемски живот в годините, когато се утвърждава като един от най-любимите и авангардни чешки писатели. Събрал стари и нови истории, неспирен поток от образи, „Vita Nuova“ отново ни дава възможност да надникнем в забавното огледало на писателя, в една колоритна интелектуална и артистична среда, в която въпреки натиска на социалистическия режим духът успява да остане свободен.
Бохумил Храбал (1914-1997) е колос на чешката литература, чиито произведения блестят със собствена светлина в прозата на XX век. Завършва право в родината си, но никога не практикува по специалността - писането се оказва негова щастлива съдба. В автобиографичната трилогия, част от която е „Vita Nuova”, откриваме „запазената марка“ на Храбаловото писане: вълшебното опоетизиране на делничното, дори и на грозното, разглеждане на индивидуалната, на пръв поглед банална история в контекста на цялостната панорама на сложната и често пъти безпощадна историческа епоха. У нас са издадени още комичният шедьовър „Обслужвал съм английския крал”, експерименталната новела „Уроци по танци за възрастни и напреднали”, сборникът „Моритати и легенди“, романът „Прекалено шумна самота“ и новелата „Сватби в къщата“.

Предстои да излезе и последната книга от автобиографичната трилогия – „Пролуки“.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bohumil Hrabal, one of the masters of Czech literature in the 20th century, starts writing a biography in which he gives reflections on his very beginning as a writer, tells about his eating and drinking habits, and finally his social contacts. What makes this biography worth of 4stars? That's quite simple: It's his wife whom he chose to tell all the story.
During the perusal I had to think of Gertrude Stein whose autobiography is written from Alice's Toklas point of view and which I rated very low. Then I became aware of why I liked Vita Nuova so much more. It's because the book is unpretentious and always humorous, other than Stein's conceited one. The Czech is also fabulous and easy to understand even for a non-speaker.

[Spiros · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second volume of Hrabal's three part imagined autobiography of his wife, Eliska; not quite as good as the first volume, In-House Weddings, but still a lot of fun, exhibiting Hrabal's bohemian life in Prague, and the beginning of his writing career. The discursive quality of the writing, in which several chapters consist of one long unpunctuated paragraph, makes this volume somewhat challenging to read.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Granted the extremity of the stream of conscious makes this a challenging read, but those who are familiar with Hrabal, or interested in in the journey of a Homeric jester find this autobiographical novel rewarding. He tells the story from his wife's mouth, standing ajar from himself as he looks in the mirror.

[Barbucha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kniha, pokračování Svateb v domě je autorovou evokací doby před vydáním první sbírky povídek. Z autorova života se vytrácí hravost a více pronikají tíživé otázky po schopnosti realizovat své představy a sny.

[El Viejo Mochales · Rating 4 out of 5]

******* (7/10. BUENO) II PARTE DE LA AUTOBIGRAFÍA NOVELADA DE BOHUMIL HRABAL. En este segundo volumen Eliška, la narradora, se centra en la vida conyugal con Hrabal y en la dedicacon de este como escritor a media jornada hasta la inminente publicación de su primera obra. Todo ello regado con buenas dosis de cerveza, tabernas y amigos artistas inminentes “campeones del mundo“. Continúa viviendo en Libeň.
Quizás un poquito más flojo que el anterior. Reseňar que está escrito sin signos de puntuación, algo que no supone ningún inconveniente; todo sea dicho.

"Quien ha de ahorcarse no se va a ahogar,
Aunque el agua subiera a la horca"
(Dicho popular)

[AnaMejzr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Po knize Svatba v domě, kterou jsem přečetla jedním dechem, mi přečtení této knihy trvalo více než měsíc. Je to jedna z knih autobiografické trilogie Bohumila Hrabala, druhá, kterou jsem přečetla, a nemá odstavce ani interpunkci.
Je fascinující prostřednictvím četby znovuobjevovat Libeň padesátých let, zvlášť když člověk bydlí ve vedlejší čtvrti.

[Erich C · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Libor Havlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutní pecka!