May - Hardcover

Macha, Karel Hynek

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 808626422X ISBN 13: 9788086264226

Publisher: Twisted Spoon Press, 2007

Synopsis

As opposed to the other important 19th-century European poets, Macha's work has been largely ignored in English translation. The present volume, the sole to exist in English, provides the original Czech text in parallel."

About this title

Synopsis:

This series is devoted to making available in English translation, outstanding works of literature from the Czech lands. From German, the following works are included: Severin's "Journey Into The Dark"; "Others' Paradise" by Paul Leppin; "Blaugast" (forthcoming) by Paul Leppin; "The Maimed" by Hermann Ungar; "Boys and Murderers" by Hermann Ungar; "The Tigress And Other Texts" (forthcoming) by Walter From Czech, the folowing works are included: "Hidden History" by Otokar Brezina; "The Arsonist" by Egon Hostovsky; "The Sufferings Of Prince Sternenhoch" by Ladislav Klima; "Glorious Nemesis" (forthcoming) by Ladislav Klima; "May" by Karel Hynek Macha; "Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders" by Vitezslav Nezval; "Edition 69" by Nezval/Styrsky. Compared to Byron, Keats, Shelley, and Poe, called Lautreamont's "elder brother" by the Czech Surrealists, Karel Hynek Macha (1810-1836) was the greatest Czech Romantic poet, and arguably the most influential of any poet in the language. "May", his epic masterpiece, was published in April 1836, just seven months before his death. Considered the "pearl" of Czech poetry, it is a tale of seduction, revenge, and patricide. A paean as well to nature, virtually every Czech student and adult can recite the first stanzas of the poem from memory, and new editions still regularly appear. The reason for the poem's popularity and longevity is the beauty of its music and its innovative use of language. Scorned at first by the national revivalists of the late 19th century for being "un-Czech," Macha was held up as the "national" poet of later generations, a fate from which the interwar Czech avant-garde tried to rescue him. As opposed to the other important 19th-century European poets, Macha's work has been largely ignored in English translation. The present volume, the sole to exist in English, provides the original Czech text in parallel. Twisted Spoon Press was founded in 1992 as an independent publisher devoted to new writing and new translations, often in conjunction with graphic art. Based in Prague, it offers a unique selection of literature in English from Central and Eastern Europe, from emerging as well as internationally recognized authors. Care is taken with translation, illustration, and design as we produce books that are of literary as well as artistic merit.

About the Author:

Karel Hynek Mácha was born on November 16, 1810 in an old part of Prague where his father was the foreman at one of the city's mills. At school he learned Latin and German, the two languages approved by the Hapsburg authorities, and later studied law at Prague University. His great model was Byron, with whom he shared a romantic idealism, wandering the Bohemian countryside to visit castle ruins, always making sketches and notes describing the natural beauty surrounding him. Influenced by the Czech intellectuals who were trying to revive the language at the beginning of the nineteenth century, Mácha wrote May and many of his poems in Czech (though his early writing was in German, the compulsory language of his education). In this way he identified himself with the Byronic hero who gives his life to a cause. Mácha died of pneumonia on November 5, 1836 just shy of his 26th birthday.

About this edition

• Publisher: Twisted Spoon Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 808626422X
• ISBN 13: 9788086264226
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128
• Illustrator: Styrsky Jindrich