Why I Write? And Other Early Prose Pieces

Bohumil Hrabal

ISBN 10: 8024642689 / ISBN 13: 9788024642680

Published by Nakladatelstvi Karolinum, 2020

About this Item

Why I Write? And Other Early Prose Pieces - Bohumil Hrabal *** [EN] Categories: Anglicka literatura; Books; Cizojazycne knihy; Ceska beletrie v anglictine; Cesti autori v anglictine | Condition: new | Binding: Hardcover | Translation of early prose works by Bohumil Hrabal is based on the first volume of Hrabal's writings, titled Krehky dluh. In these existentially l. *** [DE] Zustand: neu | Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe | Die Übersetzung früher Prosa Bohumila Hrabals basiert auf dem ersten Band von Hrabals Werken, betitelt Krehky dluh. In diesen existenziell l. *** [CZ] Stav: Novy | Preklad ranych proz Bohumila Hrabala vychazi z prvniho svazku Hrabalovych spisu, nazvaneho Krehky dluh. V techto existencialne l.

Seller Inventory # E-9788024642680

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Why I Write? And Other Early Prose Pieces
• Publisher: Nakladatelstvi Karolinum
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 8024642689
• ISBN 13: 9788024642680
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

“Glimmers in anticipation of Hrabal’s later virtuosity.”
—New Yorker
 
“A collection of formative fiction from a writer whose work has earned comparison with Joyce and Beckett. . . . Early work from a writer who merits a larger readership.”
—Kirkus Reviews

This collection of the earliest prose by one of literature’s greatest stylists captures, as scholar Arnault Maréchal put it, “the moment when Hrabal discovered the magic of writing.” Taken from the period when Bohumil Hrabal shifted his focus from poetry to prose, these stories—many written in school notebooks, typed and read aloud to friends, or published in samizdat—often showcase raw experiments in style that would define his later works. Others intriguingly utilize forms the author would never pursue again. Featuring the first appearance of key figures from Hrabal’s later writings, such as his real-life Uncle Pepin, who would become a character in his later fiction and is credited here as a coauthor of one piece, the book also contains stories that Hrabal would go on to cannibalize for some of his most famous novels. All together, Why I Write? offers readers the chance to explore this important nascent phase of Hrabal’s writing.

Expertly interpreted by award-winning Hrabal translator David Short, this collection comprises some of the last remaining prose works by Hrabal to be translated into English. A treasure trove for Hrabal devotees, Why I Write? allows us to see clearly why this great prose master was, as described by Czech writer and publisher Josef Škvorecký, “fundamentally a lyrical poet.”

About the Author

David Short is an acclaimed translator of numerous books from Czech and Slovak to English.