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Czech writing
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hidden history
by Otokar Brezina
translated from the Czech by Carleton Bulkin
afterword by Petr Holman
The works of the Czech Symbolist Otokar Brezina (1868-1929), a writer twice nominated for the
Nobel Prize in Literature, influenced an entire generation of artists in Bohemia and Moravia.
Hidden History (published posthumously in 1935) is one of the most important works of
20th century Czech prose and represents the apotheosis of Brezina's endeavors in the essay form. I
n this finely crafted collection, he discusses the role of art as a vanguard of developments in
science and as a force for social change. These essays also contribute to an understanding of
Brezina's poetry, for which he is better known. They comprise the most systematic exposition of his
aesthetic creed, which served to inspire the Czech writers and literary critics who followed in his
footsteps.
This edition is the first complete English translation of any complete volume of
Brezina's work.
Carleton Bulkin, from the San Francisco area, received an M.A. in Slavic Languages and
Literatures from Indiana University. His translations include The Sufferings
of Prince Sternenhoch by Ladislav Klima (Twisted Spoon Press, 2001)
and A False Dawn
by Ilona Lacková (University of Hertfordshire Press, 2000).
Praise:
Brezina was the greatest of Czech symbolists, indeed, one of the great figures in European symbolism generally . . . Bulkin has produced a fine and faithful translation which I can recommend to anyone . . . |
— The New Presence
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Hidden History [is] a unique marriage of philosophical investigation and artistic endeavor that produced finely wrought lyrical expositions of Brezina's aesthetic and mystical beliefs. |
— The Prague Post
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Approaching the irrational passions of life with a manic rush, . . . Brezina forsakes rational structures of thought, instead creating towers of language that often exhibit powerfully abstract imagery. |
— Rain Taxi
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ISBN 978 80 902171 2 6
152 pp.
135 x 190mm
1 b/w illustration
hardcover
essays / literature
€18.50
Price includes shipping
by airmail worldwide
Order in the US:
Amazon
Powells
SPD
Order in the UK:
Amazon UK
The Book Depository
Central Books
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