DAYLIGHT IN NIGHTCLUB INFERNO: Czech Fiction from the Post-Kundera Generation

by Elena--Ed. Lappin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 15, 1997

This hefty anthology includes 20 short stories and excerpts from novels by Czech writers who have emerged since the Prague Spring of 1968, and in many cases since the so-called ""Velvet Revolution"" of 1989. Fragmentation, surrealistic techniques, and social and political alienation dominate such striking pieces as Michal Viewegh's tongue-in-cheek portrayal of an artist whom the world is too much with (from Sightseers), Teresa Bouckova's wonderful novella about a well-meaning young woman's frustrated pursuit of political and romantic fulfillment (""Quail""), and--in the collection's best piece--Jiri Kratochvil's brainy, funny recounting of the unlikely success of ""the first erotic woman clown of Czech literature."" A few stories are thin and uninvolving, but there's a lot of first-rate work in this appealing volume--and good reason to anticipate even greater pleasures from future works by these authors.

Pub Date: Feb. 15, 1997

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Catbird

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1997

Categories: FICTION