The Czech Reader
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THE CZECH READER HISTORY, CULTURE, POLITICS Jan Bazant, Nina Bazantova, and Frances Starn, eds. DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS Durham and London 2010 Contents List of Illustrations xi Acknowledgments xv Guide to Pronunciation xvii Introduction i I Between Myth and History (The Pfemyslid Dynasty) 7 Report on a Journey to Prague in 965, Ibrahim ibn Yaqub at-Turtushi 13 Legend of Saints Cyril, Methodius, Wenceslas, and Ludmila, Kristidn 17 Bohemian Chronicle, Cosmos of Prague 20 Letter to Agnes of Prague, Clare of Assisi 26 II Navel of the Earth (Charles IV-Vdclav IV) 31 Chronicle of the Prague Church, Benes Krabice of Veitmile 35 The Ointment Seller, Anonymous 39 Tkadlecek, Anonymous 43 III Against Everyone (The Hussite Revolution) 47 Letter to the Czechs, Jan Hus 51 Who Are God's Warriors? Anonymous 54 Letter to the Hussites, Joan of Arc 56 The Net of Faith, Petr Chelcicky 58 IV Struggles for Court, City, Country (Vladislav Iljagiellon- Rudolph II) 67 The Dove and the Painted Tablet, Elizabeth Jane Weston 75 To the Memory of Tycho Brahe, Jan Campanus 76 Description of Prague during the Time of Rudolph II, Pierre Bergeron 77 Letter of Majesty, Rudolph II 80 viii Contents V Defeated Protestants, Victorious Catholics (Ferdinand II-Charles VI) 83 Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart, Jan Amos Komensky go Jan of Nepomuk, Bohuslav Balbin 96 The Rakovnik Christmas Play, Anonymous 100 VI From the Enlightenment to Romantic Nationalism (Maria Theresa-Revolution of 1848) m On Slav Nations, Johann Gottfried Herder 123 Manuscript of Zelena Hora, Anonymous 126 Home Cookery, Magdalena Dobromila Rettigovd 131 History of the Czech Nation in Bohemia and Moravia, Frantisek Palacky 133 May, Karel Hynek Mdcha 137 Where Is My Home? Josef Kajetdn Tyl 142 VII Defeated Politicians, Victorious Intellectuals (1848-1867) 145 Water Sprite, Karel Jaromir Erben 157 The Grandmother, Bozena Nemcovd 165 Let Us Rejoice, libretto, Karel Sabina; music, Bedfich Smetana 182 VIII From National Self-Determination to Cosmopolitanism (1867-1918) 187 The Three Lilies, Jan Neruda 207 The Ballad of Blanik, Jaroslav Vrchlicky 210 Late towards Morning, Karel Hlavdcek 214 Letter from the New World, Antonin Dvorak 216 Golem, Alois Jirdsek 219 A Report to an Academy, Franz Kafka 223 The Sole Work, Otokar Bfezina 231 Marycka Magdonova, Petr Bezruc 235 Contents ix IX The First Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1938) 239 The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Svejk, Jaroslav Hasek 259 R.U.R., Karel Capek 268 Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, Vitezslav Nezval 279 Summer of Caprice, Vladislav Vancura 288 X Between Hitler and Stalin (1938-1948) 295 On the Munich Agreement, British Parliamentary Debate 307 At the Tomb of the Czech Kings, Jaroslav Seifert 310 Life with a Star, Jifi Weil 312 On the Elimination of the Czech Nation, Reinhard Heydrich 321 The Cowards, Josef Skvorecky 327 They Cut Off the Little Boy's Hair, Josef Kainar 333 XI "Ideal" Socialism (1948-1968) 335 From the Last Letters, Milada Hordkovd 349 Cigarette, Ivan Blatny 351 Prometheus's Liver, Jifi Koldf 353 A Night with Hamlet, Vladimir Holan 355 The Garden Party, Vaclav Havel 363 The Joke, Milan Kundera 372 Two Thousand Words, May 27,1968, Ludvik Vaculik 376 Close the Gate, Little Brother, Karel Kryl 383 XII "Real" Socialism (1968-1989) 385 Magic Prague, Angelo Maria Ripellino 399 In-House Weddings, Bohumil Hrabal 405 The Head of the Virgin Mary, Jaroslav Seifert 416 What Are the Czechs? Jan Patoflta 419 Charter 77, Charter 77 Initiative 429 Czech Dream Book, Ludvik Vaculik 434 Politics and Conscience, Vaclav Havel 440 Kultura/Culture, GeneDeitch 457 Utz, Bruce Chatwin 461 x Contents XIII The Decades after the Velvet Revolution (1989-2009) 463 City Sister Silver, Jdchym Topol 473 Prague 1989: Theater of Revolution, Michael Andrew Kukral 484 German-Czech Declaration, Bilateral Agreement 489 After the Revolution, Erazim Kohdk 493 Europeana: A Brief History of the Twentieth Century, Patrik Oufednik 500 Epilogue 503 Suggestions for Further Reading 507 Acknowledgment of Copyright and Sources 521 Index 529 Illustrations MAPS Radhanite trade routes in ninth-century Europe 14 Lands of the Bohemian crown during the reign of Charles IV 30 The Habsburg Empire, circa 1557 70 The disintegrated Habsburg Empire, circa 1918 240 Czechoslovakia's wartime cessions, 1938—1945 300 Czechoslovakia, 1945-1992; the Czech Republic since 1993 466 PLATES, FOLLOWING P. 206 From The Slav Epic, by Alfons Mucha Valdstejn (Wallenstein) Palace Pfemysl the Ploughman, Znojmo Rotunda Vladislav Hall, Old Royal Palace, Prague Rudolph II, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo The Terezin fortress (Theresienstadt) The Charles Bridge, Prague Franz Kafka monument, Prague Cathedral of the Divine Savior, Ostrava Ride of Kings ceremony, Doloplazy, near Olomouc FIGURES Introduction Statue of Saint Wenceslas, Wenceslas Square, Prague xviii I Between Myth and History Baptism of Bofivoj, grandfather of Saint Vaclav 8 Martyrdom of Saint Ludmila, grandmother of Saint Vaclav (Wenceslas) 10 St. Salvator Church 27 Aerial view of Ceske Budejovice 28 xii List of Illustrations II Navel of the Earth The crown of the Czech kings 31 St. Vitus Cathedral 32 Panorama of Prague, with Charles Bridge (detail) 33 Benes Krabice of Veitmile 37 III Against Everyone Meeting of Jifi of Podebrady with Matthias Corvinus 49 Death of Jan Hus 52 Aerial view of Tabor 55 A Hussite wagenburg 57 The Net of Faith, by Petr Chelcicky 65 IV Struggles for Court, City, Country Town Hall, Olomouc, Moravia 68 The Royal Summer Palace, Prague Castle 71 Maize, engraving by Pietro Andrea Mattioli 72 Elizabeth Jane Weston 74 V Defeated Protestants, Victorious Catholics The Defenestration of Prague 84 From Comenius, The Visible World in Pictures 93 Statue of Saint Jan of Nepomuk 97 Statue of Saint Lutgarda 102 Facade and interior of St. Mary Magdalen Church 108-109 VI From the Enlightenment to Romantic Nationalism Zdboj and Slavoj, statue by Josef Vaclav Myslbek 128 Fishing for carp at the Horusice pond 131 The Estates Theatre, Prague 143 VII Defeated Politicians, Victorious Intellectuals Bozena Nemcova, author of The Grandmother 180 The library of Vojtech Naprstek 183 Ema Destinnova in The Bartered Bride 184 The Tabor branch of the Sokol organization 185 VIII From National Self-Determination to Cosmopolitanism Celebrations for the founding of the National Theatre, Prague 199 The National Theatre, Prague 200 List of Illustrations xiii The Rudolfinum, Prague 201 Villa of Dr. Adolf Ritter 202 American Bar, Municipal House, Prague 203 Electric railway from Bechyne to Tabor 204 IX The First Czechoslovak Republic Panorama of Zlin, 1939 244 - Apartment blocks for the Domovina cooperative, Znojmo 245 Legion Bank, Prague 253 Vladislav Vancura and Ivan Olbracht during shooting of Faithless Marijka 255 T. G. Masaryk, Topolcianky, autumn 1930 270 Toyen (Marie Cerminova) andjindfich Styrsky 283 Jifi Voskovec and Jan Werich onstage 289 X Between Hitler and Stalin Czech Germans welcoming Hitler, Usti nad Labem 296 Wing Commander Captain Alois Vasatko 311 Jewish woman with children, Prague 314 Reinhard Heydrich's Mercedes 324 German women paving the streets in Prague 330 XI "Ideal" Socialism Monument of the Soviet Soldier, by Konrad Babraj 336 Stalin monument, Letna Park, Prague 339 Milada Horakova before a communist tribunal, Prague 350 "People's Militias" march, Prague 354 May Day parade, 1962 364 Scene from Milos Forman's The Firemen's Ball 369 Prague students with Russian soldiers 384 XII "Real" Socialism Socialist education class, Lomnice 386 Training session, Jifikov 389 Czechs dressed as inhabitants of the Wild West 396 Vaclav Havel, 1975 442 XIII The Decades after the Velvet Revolution Velvet Revolution, Wenceslas Square, Prague 465 Antonin Holy 468 Vaclav Havel, 2008 471.