Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka za světové války

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Jaroslav Hašek: Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka za světové války (Czech language, 1921, Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir)

Czech language

Published May 13, 1921 by Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir.

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(2 reviews)

The Good Soldier Švejk (pronounced [ˈʃvɛjk]) is an unfinished satirical dark comedy novel by Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek, published in 1921–1923, about a good-humored, simple-minded middle-aged man who is enthusiastic to serve Austria-Hungary in World War I. The book is also the most translated novel of Czech literature, having been translated into over 50 languages. The Good Soldier Švejk is the abbreviated title, the original Czech title of the work is Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka za světové války, literally The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk During the World War.

14 editions

reviewed Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka za světové války by Jaroslav Hašek

Still Hilarious, 100 years on

I'm still reading the English version of this book. I'm constantly laughing out loud at Svjek's antics, and I love how jolly and dark this book is in equal measure - I've never found anything like it

Absolutely gutted that the author died before finishing this, getting a bit familiar with the style and the character Svjek, I think that the book on the Russian Revolution would surely have been the best bit!

reviewed The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hašek

Review of 'The Good Soldier Svejk' on 'LibraryThing'

This book is in 4 volumes, and really my rating is 5 stars for volume 1, 1 star for volume 2, and I didn't even start reading volumes 3 and 4. The first volume would make a lovely (and already fairly long) stand-alone novel, in which Hašek uses Svejk as a sort of universal "wise fool" character to show up the stupidity of everyone else around him, imperialism, reverence for royalty, patriotism and war. It's lightly written, but often quite cutting, and for a few hundred pages it's a delightful read. The trouble is, by the end of volume 1 it's already starting to get repetitive, so volume 2 became a real slog, and ultimately I lost patience with Svejk's monologues and gave up.

Subjects

  • World War I