The Spirit of Prague and Other Essays
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ISBN: 0964561123 / Publisher: Granta Books, September 1995
A collection of essays by an eminent Czechoslovakian novelist explores the turbulent history of Prague over the past fifty years, the author's childhood experience in a concentration camp, the work of Franz Kafka, and the meaning of hope. Original. IP.
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Here, in Klima's own powerful words, is the motivation behind his writing - the necessity to bear witness to his country's turbulent history. In the title essay of this collection of essays, Klima invokes the spirit of the city that has shaped and sustained him: ironical, cultural, accustomed to adversity but full of hope. A city which has spawned and inspired Milan Kundera, Josef Skvorecky and Pavel Kohut.Other essays deal with his childhood experience in a concentration camp, thoughts about literature and memory, and the nature and importance of honesty and hope. A penetrating interview by Philip Roth and a study of Franz Kafka, compassionate and illuminating, are also included.
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