Prague: A Cultural History

by Richard Burton

Overview

Located at the very center of Europe, Prague has been on the frontline of international political, intellectual, religious, and cultural conflicts for more than six centuries. Invaded and occupied by the Habsburgs, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Nazis, and then Communist Russia, the city’s identity is shaped by a long experience of foreign domination and a strong sense of martyrdom. A treasure house of Gothic, baroque, and modernist architecture, Prague is also a city of icons and symbols: statues, saints and signs reveal a turbulent history of religious and cultural conflict. As Kafka’s nightmare city and home of the Good Soldier _vejk, the Czech capital also produced two of the twentieth century’s emblematic writers. Richard Burton explores this metropolis of theatrical allusion, in which politics and drama have always been intertwined. His interpretation of the city’s cultural past and present encompasses opera and rock music, puppetry and cinema, surrealism and socialist realism. Looking at Prague’s world-famous landmarks and lesser-known sites, his reading of the city through its writing and iconography is both perceptive and challenging. • The city of artists and writers: The Castle and Kafka, Ha_ek and Kundera; music from Smetana to the Plastic People of the Universe; modernism and cubism; political theater and the playwright-president Václav Havel • The city of tyranny and resistance: Jan Hus and anti-Catholic revolt; subjugation and the rise of Czech nationalism; Germans, Czechs and Jews; "Prague Spring" 1968, Charter 77 and the "Velvet Revolution" of November 1989 • The city of magic, murder, and myth: Medieval alchemy and astrology; the myth of the Golem, the ghetto and anti-Semitism; living puppets, robots, and a tradition of defenestration.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781566564908
Publisher:	Interlink Publishing Group, Incorporated
Publication date:	03/01/2003
Series:	Interlink Cultural Histories
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Richard Burton was formerly Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Sussex University. He first visited Prague in 1970 and has recently relocated to France.

Editorial Reviews

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From the Publisher

"Reading these guides is the next best thing to actually going there with them in hand."

ForeWord Magazine

Prague is considered one of the treasures of Europe. A city steeped in history, well-preserved architecture, and literary imagination, it draws visitors who return speaking mostly in superlatives. Burton, a former professor of French at the University of Sussex and a visitor to Prague since 1970, aims not to provide a standard guidebook but to give visitors sufficient literary and cultural background in the context of Prague's colorful and varied history. An overview chapter offers the history and evolution of the most important city sights. Other chapters cover such topics as Jewish and German Prague and the great role theater has played in the city; four separate chapters review the city's history from 1900 to the present. Line drawings punctuate the text, adding to the artistic flavor of the commentary. Recommended as an excellent supplement to standard guidebooks for general travel collections in both public and academic libraries.-Olga Wise, Austin, TX Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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