Fields of Light: A Son Remembers His Heroic Father

by Joseph Hurka

"An enduring love song from a son to his heroic father. Immensely moving."―Andre Dubus Winner of Pushcart's 19th annual Editor's Book Award. After the fall of Communism, Joseph Hurka traveled to Prague, where his father had fought in the Underground against the Czech-Stalinist government. As the son walks in his father's steps, he uncovers a hidden he learns of his father's brutal imprisonment, his fortunate release, and his fierce resistance work. Fields of Light is a loving tribute to a father, a tale of personal sacrifice and endurance―and of history reborn after extraordinary totalitarian efforts to erase it. 16 b/w photographs

Genres: Nonfiction

201 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2001

About the author

Joseph Hurka attended Bradford College, in Bradford, Massachusetts, where he became a teaching assistant to the short story master, Andre Dubus. Dubus sent Hurka to the University of Iowa, where he earned an MFA in creative writing. Hurka'a short stories have been published in numerous literary quarterlies, including Ploughshares, Dos Passos Review, and Agni. A book of his collected stories is forthcoming.
In 1993, Hurka traveled to the Czech Republic to walk in the footsteps of his father, Josef, a Czech Resistance fighter during Nazi and communist times. The result was FIELDS OF LIGHT: A SON REMEMBERS HIS HEROIC FATHER, which won the Pushcart Editors' Book Award; a subsequent novel, BEFORE, also related to Hurka's discovery of his Czech roots, and was published in 2007 by St. Martin's.
Hurka has just finished a new novel, called SUPERLAND, and is at work on another memoir.

Reviews

[El · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm fascinated by family histories and hope to one day know enough about my own family to do something similar - though I can't complain too loudly considering I started this project in the late nineties and still have very superficial information about both sides of my family. But really that's beside the point.

Joseph Hurka visited his parents' homeland in the Czech Republic in the nineties after the Velvet Revolution. His father had been a part of the anti-communist underground movement and eventually had to leave Czechoslovakia to avoid assassination. He never returned. His son did visit, having the opportunity to stay with his aunt. Through her stories Hurka was able to fill in the parts of his father's story that for years had been empty, all while putting the stories in perspective by actually being on location.

The Czech Republic is one of those places that is a long-time goal of mine. I will go, oh yes, I will go. And it will be good; I will see where one side of my family came from. Reading Hurka's memoir about his father made me excited about the prospect all over again. His descriptions of the more popular sites in Prague made me all warm-fuzzy inside. The story itself was often over-written and sometimes a little too fuzzy, but fascinating in any case. One doesn't often get to read about the Czech Underground, and here it is in great detail, with black and white photos to boot.

[Marshall Johnson]

Interesting read. Not very heavy. Mr. Jirka writes about his first trip from the States to see an aunt and visit his father's birth country. Afraid I did not learn anything new from reading this book. I can recommend it only to people who know nothing about the Czech Republic.

[Heidi G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put the book down. This author has written n extraordinary tribute to his heroic father. Highly recommend.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I have the opprotunty to know the author and had many occasions to talk with Joe about his expereince gathering the information for his book. He shared his story with me about his childhood and his relationship with his parents. I found it easy to put myself in the book and be in the shoes of those I read about. I grew very attached to Joe's story and his book. In a time when you could trust no one, Joe's father was a hero, it is worth reading.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to understand more of my Czechoslovakian heritage. Growing up, I remember that my Grandmothers family was behind the Iron curtain, and very little contact was maintained. So the mystery of Czechoslovakia looms over me. I hear of the beauty of Prague, and desire to know more. This book helped me understand what Czecholslovakia was like in the 60's, how to honor one's father, and how our heritage can also be our future.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in Prague in 1996 and I wish I'd read this book then. I saw all the art nouveau and pretty and fun stuff and never thought about the communist stuff that was just freshly over. Or else my friend told me about it and I was too bubbleheaded to think about it.

This book did a lot to make me understand the depth of the Czech Republic, and the horrible struggle under communism and during WWII. Really sad and moving.

[James Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Hurka's book is wonderful tribute to his father as well as an insightful look into Czech political history. Without aggrandizement, Hurka shows how his father fought against the Nazis and the Communists to try to help Czechoslavakia return its days as a true democracy in the early 20th century, something that did not become a reality again until the 1990s. In the process of the investigation, Hurka also achieves a much deeper understanding of the stern father who raised him.

[Angelica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely story.

Though somewhat blandly written and boring in some parts, it serves as a gentle reminder as to what the Czechs had experienced during the time of Communism, a country and a period of history often forgotten.

[Maureen McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Czech underground during the Soviet occupation. You don't hear too many first hand accounts of this.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still reading it! I love the way it's written though - and it's all in Praha! Wooo!