Synopsis
'A superb, haunting, clotted mad masterpiece.'- John Banville, The Observer This unique cultural history attempts to go beyond the tourist clich of Prague as the 'golden city' to bring out all the mystery, ambiguity, gloom, lethargy and hidden fascination of the city on the Vltava. Ripellino slips into the style of melodrama and ghost stories, the anecdotes of the enchanted traveller and the outlandish bad taste of beer-teller tales to bring out the sorcery of the Bohemian capital in a mixture of fact and fiction.
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About the Author
About the Author:
Michael Heim is the author of the award winning The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality and the ground breaking Electric Language.
From Library Journal
Although Prague is renowned for its beauty and is conveniently located in the center of Europe, fascism and communism have kept it off most American tourist itineraries for more than half a century. Capitalism is quickly returning it to every tourist's list. Levine, an American who lived in Prague while writing this guidebook, includes detailed information on transportation, accommodations, eating, shopping, and entertainment, plus interesting (and sometimes useful) cultural anecdotes and historical facts. Although the focus is on Prague, 15 day trips outside the city are also described; the book could serve as a guide to the new Czech Republic as well as to its capital. Following the "Maverick Guide" philosophy, Levine's writing style is colloquial and more opinionated than that of some other travel series. Highly recommended. In contrast, Ripellino, formerly of the University of Rome, presents a blend of history, art, literary criticism, and fantasy designed to relate not just facts about the city on the Vltava but to explore its essence as well. Ripellino's writing is dense and discursive, which may initially confuse readers, especially those without much prior knowledge of Czech history and culture. The bewildering array of names and places begins on page 1. To complicate matters further, some of these people and places may not exist, since the book has a fictional element. Recommended for academic libraries with a particular interest in Central European history and Slavic studies.
- Mary C. Kalfatovic, Telesec Lib. Svcs., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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