A Bohemian Youth

Winner, 1998 PEN Center USA West Award for Translation Josef Hirsal's experimental novel is a Dada-like romp through the life of a young man born into a Bohemian peasant family. Told in five parts, "A Bohemian Youth" begins with a word to the wise, moves on to the text, continues with notes and with [...]
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Winner, 1998 PEN Center USA West Award for Translation Josef Hirsal's experimental novel is a Dada-like romp through the life of a young man born into a Bohemian peasant family. Told in five parts, "A Bohemian Youth" begins with a word to the wise, moves on to the text, continues with notes and with notes to the note, and ends with a note on the notes to the notes. More than just a tongue-in-cheek parody of a literary memoir, "A Bohemian Youth" is a glimpse of the First Czechoslovak Republic as seen through the eyes of a young peasant from the provinces. Abounding in intimate details--the manners of a servant girl, the habits of the town homosexual, the sounds of popular music; the way people eat in wartime--Hirsal's novel is a wrenching and hilarious tale of a young man's emotional and sexual awakening.