CZECH REPUBLIC
Bookshops and its books
Reading is for me today what music used to be.
I have therefore decided to visit bookshops wherever I happen to be. And there I buy one book each time that is displayed as recommendation.
If there are no staff picks, I choose one that has obviously been laid out.
By the way, this could be a chance to get rid of a book that has been sitting in the shop for years :-)
I rate the bookshop on selection, interior design and friendliness - the book according to my taste. Of course, it is often a matter of luck which one I finally choose.
Please note this is my personal opinion. My taste often differs from the general public.
Thank you to all the wonderful booksellers! It's nice that there are still so many great bookshops.
My rating is as follows:
***** outstanding
**** very good
*** good
** okay
* needs improvement
PRAGUE
Knihkupectvi Karolinium
Ovocny trh 5, Prague
It was my first time in Prague. I was curious to see whether the shops would be as different in terms of content as the architecture of the buildings. The Eastern European influence is unmistakable.
The bookshop is located in the centre of the shopping mile. A very nice place. The red shelves are a bit unusual and unfortunately quite overcrowded. But it has a large selection of foreign books - thanks for that. It would have been a bit difficult to read a book in Czech.
Zdeněk Jirotka : Saturnin
When you read Jirotka's book about the servant Saturnin, you would never think that this novel was written in 1942 during the German occupation.
Saturnin is considered THE book in the Czech Republic par excellence and is full of subtle humour. Probably the most famous episode right at the beginning of the book, in which Doctor Witherspoon explains his theory about categorising three types of personalities (using a plate of doughnuts), is unique.
When the main characters are forced to live under one roof in their grandfather's house because the bridge has collapsed after a storm, the story about the characters really takes off.
The chapters are always wonderfully introduced with highlights such as:
- My aunt leaves and Saturnin brews up black coffee
- By pure accident we fail to drown
- My aunt wraps Grandpa in a blanket
- Bertie is sent to fetch worms
- Saturnin refuses to give an answer
It must have been incredibly difficult to translate a novel tailored to the original language into English. I found myself well entertained.
Bookshop:
***
Book:
****
Shakespeare & Synové
U Lužického semináre 10, Prague
Undoubtedly a bookshop with character. Situated on the side of the castle about 3 minutes walk from the beautiful Charles Bridge.
The bookshop is filled to the ceiling with shelves full of books.
On two floors you will find a mixture of new and 2nd hand, a total joy to browse - but in desperate need of renovation and air conditioning. It was almost unbearable.
The bookseller had just as much personality as the shop.
Bohumil Hrabal : I served the King of England
Ditie, a hotel waiter learns to read the guests through a colleague who served the King of England.
Ditie is given a similar honour to his colleague: he will serve the Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie. He receives an insignia for this service.
When it comes to love, Ditie's journey begins with prostitutes. The book cover also alludes to this. During the German siege, he falls in love with the German Lise. The two have a child - a boy who is constantly hammering nails into the ground. There is no love, only resentment.
Lise came into possession of very valuable stamps that had been confiscated from Jews. Ditie takes them and becomes a millionaire until he loses everything again.
The whole story was too restless and not very likeable for me. In the end, I kept asking myself while reading: Why is this book not called "I served the king of Ethiopia"? And why can't the author insert paragraphs? It was horrible to read!!!
Two fun facts remain: the book was written in one draft and published by the Jazz Section of Czech Musicians' Union in a private edition of 5000 copies for members.
Bookshop:
****
Book:
**