| A Bohemian Youth Translated Edition Contributor(s): Hirsal, Josef (Author), Heim, Michael Henry (Translator) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0810115921 ISBN-13: 9780810115927 Publisher: Northwestern University Press OUR PRICE: $19.75 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: December 1997 Annotation: Josef Hirsal's experimental novel is a Dada-like romp through the life of a young man born into a Bohemian peasant family. Told in five parts, the novel begins with a "word to the wise", moves on to the text proper, continues with notes and with notes to the notes, and ends with a note on the notes to the notes. More than just a tongue-in-cheek parody of a literary memoir, however, A Bohemian Youth is social history of the first rank: it is a glimpse of the First Czechoslovak Republic as seen through the eyes of a young peasant firmly grounded in the provinces. It abounds in the kind of intimate detail not found in history books - the manners of a Slovak servant girl; the mores of the town's homosexual; the sounds of popular music; the way people eat in wartime. At the same time, A Bohemian Youth is a wrenching and hilarious tale of its hero's emotional and sexual awakening. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Literary |
| Dewey: FIC |
| LCCN: 97-40411 |
| Series: Writings from an Unbound Europe |
| Physical Information: 0.28" H x 4.67" W x 7.81" (0.24 lbs) 85 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Eastern Europe |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Winner, 1998 PEN Center USA West Award for Translation Josef Hirsal's experimental novel is a Dada-like romp through the life of a young man born into a Bohemian peasant family. Told in five parts, A Bohemian Youth begins with a word to the wise, moves on to the text, continues with notes and with notes to the note, and ends with a note on the notes to the notes. More than just a tongue-in-cheek parody of a literary memoir, A Bohemian Youth is a glimpse of the First Czechoslovak Republic as seen through the eyes of a young peasant from the provinces. Abounding in intimate details--the manners of a servant girl, the habits of the town homosexual, the sounds of popular music; the way people eat in wartime--Hirsal's novel is a wrenching and hilarious tale of a young man's emotional and sexual awakening. |