Magic Prague - Hardcover

Ripellino, Angelo Maria

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0520073525 ISBN 13: 9780520073524

Publisher: University of California Press, 1993

Synopsis

This unusual, distinctive book is a glowing, theatrical blend of history, travelogue, fictional sketch, art and literary criticism, and personal essay. Angelo Ripellino goes beyond the tourist cliché of Prague and brings out the mystery, ambiguity, gloom, lethargy, and hidden fascination of the city of the Vltava. He uses melodrama and ghost stories, as well as tales from the enchanted road and the risqué barroom to relate the sorcery of the Bohemian capital in a wonderful mix of fact and fiction.

As the book opens, Kafka and Hasek are still stalking the streets of the Old Town. In the second section we are in the seventeenth century, with its emphasis on the occult. Traveling on, we move through Prague's bordellos, theaters, ghetto, alchemists' laboratories, and cafés, accompanied by Rudolph II, Apollinaire, and Czech dadaists. The result of this imaginary guided tour is a deeper knowledge of the city than any ordinary guidebook can provide as well as an exhilarating introduction to Czech culture.

About this title

About the Author

Angelo Maria Ripellino (1923-1978) was for many years Professor of Russian Language and Lecturer in Czech Language and Literature at the University of Rome.

Reviews

Prague's creative alchemy over the centuries was due largely to the commingling of its three major peoples--Czechs, Germans, Jews--shows Ripellino in this hypnotic, intensely lyrical odyssey. Beginning with Franz Kafka who "absorbed all Prague's humours and poisons," the late Ripellino (1923-1978), who taught Czech language and literature at the University of Rome, delves into Prague's melancholy and irrational darker aspects. We meet paranoid King Rudolf II (1576-1611); his court painter, Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593), famous for fantastical composite portraits; playwright Karel Capek's robots; the Golem (humanoid automaton) of Jewish legend; and a horde of pilgrims, alchemists, executioners and ghosts. Ripellino presents a vibrant picture of life in Prague's Jewish quarter, which was razed in 1893, and of the gathering of avant-garde poets and painters in the 1920s. Originally published in Italy in 1973, the book is marked by sadness for the events of the Prague Spring: "My friends have been pressing me to finish this pot-pourri, hoping it will rekindle the memory of a betrayed country without hope."
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520073525
• ISBN 13: 9780520073524
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 333
• Editor: Heim Michæl