Magic Prague

Ripellino, Angelo Maria

ISBN 10: 0520073525 / ISBN 13: 9780520073524

Published by University of California Press, 1994

About this Item

Hardcover with original dust jacket. A sharp, well-preserved copy of Ripellino's classic exploration of Prague's literary, artistic and esoteric history. Translated by David Newton Marinelli and edited by Michael Henry Heim. Part of the Wake forest Studium series. A collectible first printing of the definitive English translation of this modern classic.

The book is clean, binding tight, pages bright; seemingly unread. No previous owner marks (no names, no underlining, no highlighting, no bookplates, etc). No remainder marks. Spine is flat and square. Boards are rigid and warp-free. Corners are crisp. Dust jacket is in like-new condition. Dust jacket NOT price-clipped. See photos of the ACTUAL book you will receive, NOT A STOCK IMAGE. You can see what you will be getting with our listings. Book is protected with an archival book jacket cover. All of our books are in-stock and ready to be shipped ASAP.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1782089352100

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Magic Prague
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication Date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520073525
• ISBN 13: 9780520073524
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: As New
• Dust Jacket Condition: As New
• Dimensions: 16.51W x 24.13H x 2.54D centimeters 16.51 centimeters width by 24.13 centimeters height by 2.54 centimeters depth
• Weight: 725.748 grams

About this title

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 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.