Rake, drunkard, aesthete, gossip, raconteur extraordinaire: the narrator of Bohumil Hrabal’s rambling, rambunctious masterpiece Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age is all these and more. Speaking to a group of sunbathing women who remind him of lovers past, this elderly roué tells the story of his life—or at least unburdens himself of a lifetime’s worth of stories. Thus we learn of amatory conquests (and humiliations), of scandals both private and public, of military adventures and domestic feuds, of what things were like “in the days of the monarchy” and how they’ve changed since. As the book tumbles restlessly forward, and the comic tone takes on darker shadings, we realize we are listening to a man talking as much out of desperation as from exuberance.
Hrabal, one of the great Czech writers of the twentieth century, as well as an inveterate haunter of Prague’s pubs and football stadiums, developed a unique method which he termed “palavering,” whereby characters gab and soliloquize with abandon. Part drunken boast, part soul-rending confession, part metaphysical poem on the nature of love and time, this astonishing novel (which unfolds in a single monumental sentence) shows why he has earned the admiration of such writers as Milan Kundera, John Banville, and Louise Erdrich.
Die Inhaltsangabe kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.
Bohumil Hrabal (1914–1997) was born in Brno, Moravia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. More interested in poetry and the life of the brewery managed by his stepfather than in his studies, Hrabal eventually enrolled in the law faculty at Charles University in Prague. The Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 led to the closing of the universities and Hrabal did not complete his degree until 1946. Not inclined to practice law and unable to find a publisher for his poetry once the Communist Party came to power in 1948, Hrabal held a long series of odd jobs, including notary’s clerk, warehouseman, railroad worker, insurance agent, traveling salesman, foreman in a foundry, wastepaper recycling center worker, and stagehand. In 1962 he became a full-time writer, but due to government restrictions was obliged to publish much of his work in underground editions or abroad. The motion-picture adaptation of his novella Closely Watched Trains brought Hrabal international recognition, including the 1967 Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film, but only in 1976 was he “rehabilitated” by the government and permitted to publish select works. By the time of his death—he fell from a fifth-floor window in a Prague hospital, apparently trying to feed the birds—Hrabal was one of the world’s most famous Czech writers and the author of nearly fifty books. Among his other works available in English translation are The Death of Mr. Baltisberger, I Served the King of England, and Too Loud a Solitude.
Adam Thirlwell is the author of two novels, Politics and The Escape; and an essay on novels, The Delighted States. He lives in London.
Michael Henry Heim is a professor of Slavic languages at the University of California, Los Angeles.
„Über diesen Titel“ kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.
EUR 17,88 für den Versand von USA nach Deutschland
Versandziele, Kosten & DauerEUR 2,29 für den Versand von Vereinigtes Königreich nach Deutschland
Versandziele, Kosten & DauerAnbieter: Rarewaves.com UK, London, Vereinigtes Königreich
Paperback. Zustand: New. Main. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers LU-9781590173770
Anzahl: Mehr als 20 verfügbar
Anbieter: Biblios, Frankfurt am main, HESSE, Deutschland
Zustand: New. pp. 128. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 181800475
Anzahl: 3 verfügbar
Anbieter: Kennys Bookshop and Art Galleries Ltd., Galway, GY, Irland
Zustand: New. Translator(s): Heim, Michael Henry. Num Pages: 160 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 203 x 128 x 9. Weight in Grams: 170. . 2011. Main. Paperback. . . . . Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers V9781590173770
Anzahl: 15 verfügbar
Anbieter: moluna, Greven, Deutschland
Zustand: New. Bohumil Hrabal (1914&ndash1997) was born in Brno, Moravia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. More interested in poetry and the life of the brewery managed by his stepfather than in his studies, Hrabal eventually enrolled in the law faculty at Ch. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 904391294
Anzahl: Mehr als 20 verfügbar
Anbieter: Books Puddle, New York, NY, USA
Zustand: New. pp. 128. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 261800465
Anzahl: 3 verfügbar
Anbieter: Kennys Bookstore, Olney, MD, USA
Zustand: New. Translator(s): Heim, Michael Henry. Num Pages: 160 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 203 x 128 x 9. Weight in Grams: 170. . 2011. Main. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers V9781590173770
Anzahl: 15 verfügbar
Anbieter: Magers and Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis, MN, USA
paperback. Zustand: Like New. May have light shelf wear and/or a remainder mark. Complete. Clean pages. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 1125619
Anzahl: 1 verfügbar
Anbieter: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, USA
Zustand: As New. Unread book in perfect condition. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 9937268
Anzahl: 15 verfügbar
Anbieter: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, USA
Zustand: New. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 9937268-n
Anzahl: 15 verfügbar
Anbieter: Massive Bookshop, Greenfield, MA, USA
Paperback. Zustand: New. 5/3/2011. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 9781590173770
Anzahl: 10 verfügbar