From Publishers WeeklyOne of Czechoslovakia’s most popular authors, Hrabal ( I Served the King of England ) was never a dissident, nor are his books polemics; he is noted for his visceral, fabulistic prose and bizarre sense of humor. Hanta, the narrator of this absorbing novella, is a gentle alcoholic who has spent 35 years compacting wastepaper. In his messy, subterranean world, the refuse of human life accumulates: bloody butcher paper, office correspondence, yellowed newspapers and, most importantly, books. Able to quote Kant, Goethe and Seneca, he is both «artist and audience» as he destroys or selects for his own enjoyment the printed matter others have discarded. Hanta’s unusual occupation—in a country which until recently suffered severe literary censorship—is an ironic backdrop as he reflects on the women he has loved or imaginary encounters between historical figures such as Jesus Christ and Lao-tze. This fable about the modern-day equivalent of book-burning, although a showcase for Hrabal’s dazzling writing talent, often slides into parody, under the weight of its obtrusive morality. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library JournalIn this novella, written in 1976, narrator and authorial alter ego Hanta meditates on the 35 years he has spent at a hydraulic press in a dark cellar, compacting waste paper and books proscribed by various regimes. Though he no longer weeps or protests when rare treasures appear in his press, the books that he must destroy become his whole life, his only companions. When he is to be replaced by young workers with a more productive machine, Hanta dreams of a gigantic press that destroys not only himself but the entire city, with its traditions and culture. Written by a leading Czech writer (I Served the King of England, LJ 4/1/89), this affecting metaphor expressing fear for Central European culture belongs in libraries collecting European fiction.- Marie Bednar, Pennsylvania State Univ. Libs., University ParkCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
