Josef Škvorecký
Josef Škvorecký was a Czech-Canadian writer and publisher. He was born on September 27, 1924, in Náchod, Czechoslovakia, and passed away on January 3, 2012. Škvorecký was known for his novels and stories that often reflected his own experiences with the political turmoil of 20th-century Europe, including the Nazi occupation and the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia. After emigrating to Canada in 1968 following the Soviet-led invasion of his homeland, he became a significant figure in the literary community, co-founding Sixty-Eight Publishers which was instrumental in publishing banned Czech and Slovak books. His notable works include 'The Cowards' and 'The Engineer of Human Souls', the latter earning him the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction in 1984.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
-
1. The Engineer of Human Souls
The novel is a semi-autobiographical narrative of a Czechoslovakian writer who has become a professor at a Canadian university, teaching American literature. The narrative switches between his current life in Canada and his memories of the past in Czechoslovakia, including the Nazi occupation and the Communist regime. The book presents a complex portrayal of the life of an intellectual in exile and the challenges of cultural assimilation, while also exploring themes of love, politics, and the power of literature.
The 2732nd Greatest Book of All Time
