The Czech Reader: History, Culture, Politics

The World Readers

by Jan Bažant, Nina Bažantová (Editor), Frances Starn (Editor)

The Czech Reader brings together more than 150 primary texts and illustrations to convey the dramatic history of the Czechs, from the emergence of the Czech state in the tenth century, through the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 and the Czech Republic in 1993, into the twenty-first century. The Czechs have preserved their language, traditions, and customs, despite their incorporation into the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Third Reich, and the Eastern Bloc. Organized chronologically, the selections in The Czech Reader include the letter to the Czech people written by the religious reformer and national hero Jan Hus in 1415, and Charter 77, the fundamental document of an influential anticommunist initiative launched in 1977 in reaction to the arrest of the Plastic People of the Universe, an underground rock band. There is a speech given in 1941 by Reinhard Heydrich, a senior Nazi official and Deputy Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as one written by Václav Havel in 1984 for an occasion abroad, but read by the Czech-born British dramatist Tom Stoppard, since Havel, the dissident playwright and future national leader, was not allowed to leave Czechoslovakia. Among the songs, poems, folklore, fiction, plays, paintings, and photographs of monuments and architectural landmarks are “Let Us Rejoice,” the most famous chorus from Bedřich Smetana’s comic opera The Bartered Bride ; a letter the composer Antonín Dvořák sent from New York, where he directed the National Conservatory of Music in the 1890s; a story by Franz Kafka; and an excerpt from Milan Kundera’s The Joke . Intended for travelers, students, and scholars alike, The Czech Reader is a rich introduction to the turbulent history and resilient culture of the Czech people.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Czech Literature, Travel

568 pages, Paperback

First published November 22, 2010

About the author

Professor of Classical Archaeology at Charles University, Prague; Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Department of Classical Studies, Institute of Classical Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. Prof. Bažant belongs among the most prominent and internationally renowned Czech classical archaeologists. His scholarly interests range from issues of Classical studies to Art history, semiotics of art to iconology. He has lectured at various scholarly institutions throughout Europe and participated in major international Classical Studies publishing and research projects. He is Editor-in-Chief of the International journal EIRENE.
--from the author's website

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Fascinating to think of Joan of Arc writing a letter chewing out the Hussites. Or Jan Amos Komensky's Paradise of the Heart pre-dating Pilgrim's Progress. Or poet Elizabeth Jane Weston (1582-1612) The Dove and the Painted Tablet. Or learning of Vojtech Naprstek, who emigrated to Milwaukee in 1848, became a US citizen, studied the Dakota Indian tribe, returned to Prague in 1858, became a great philanthropist, turning the family brewery U Halanku into a center for Czech patriots & intellectuals, women included. Enjoyed learning how collectively the country came late to literacy but when they did, it was embraced with a passion by all economic levels. Loved the dark Bozena Nemcova's The Grandmother and Karel Jaromir Erben's Water Sprite. Fascinating to read Dvorak's letter home from the US in 1892 and heart-breaking to read Kafka's A Report to the Academy. I appreciated the insight into the founding mythology of Premsyl the Ploughman & Princess
Libuse and how the Czechs were squeezed between the Catholic Germans with their Roman law ideas and the Ottomans to the East. The Rakovnik Christmas Play was also interesting to learn of the importance of theater, including puppetry plays.

[Jimmie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read in learning everything Czech. Was surprised by the merging of the Czech and Germans, which is part of my heritage. Did not know how much Czech culture had combined with mine. Hope to visit the country soon.

[Peter Larsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

En utmärkt introduktion

[Phạm Chinh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book