APOCRYPHAL TALES

by Karel apek ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 15, 1997

Though not enough readers in the English-speaking world know it, the great Czech writer (1890-1938) rivals D.H. Lawrence and even arguably Chekhov for the amount of work of sustained excellence produced during a tragically brief lifetime. The present volume, an expanded edition (and new translation) of a book first published posthumously in 1945, adds a smattering of ""Fables"" and ""Would-Be Tales"" to the irreverently amusing title pieces, which offer ostensible ""untold stories"" about celebrated figures from Greek and Roman history and myth, the Bible, and Shakespeare. Alexander the Great's pragmatic rejection of his old tutor Aristotle's reverence for ""reason and logic"" and an outraged baker's complaint about Jesus' miracle of the loaves and fishes are only two of the deadpan surprises to be found in an unfailingly delightful book.

Pub Date: June 15, 1997

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 199

Publisher: Catbird

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1997

Categories: FICTION