The Good Soldier Švejk by Jaroslav Hašek
The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk during the World War
A sprawling picaresque satire set during World War I follows a genial, ostensibly simple Czech conscript whose literal-mindedness and exaggerated obedience expose the absurdities, incompetence, and cruelty of imperial military bureaucracy. Through a string of episodic misadventures, encounters with petty officials, and comic misunderstandings, the narrative skewers nationalist pomposity and authoritarian institutions with a mix of slapstick, irony, and dark humor. The result is a biting, humanistic indictment of war and power that remains both uproariously funny and painfully bleak.
The 158th greatest book of all time
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- Published
- 1921
- Nationality
- Czech
- Length
- Moderate
- Pages
- 300–400 pages
- Original Language
- Czech
- Avg User Rating
-
(3.8)
- Alternate Titles
-
- Den Tappre Soldaten Svejks äventyr Under Världskriget
- Osudy Dobrého Vojáka švejka Za Světové Války
- Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka za světové války
- The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik
- The Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 23 lists:
- 1st on Tibor Fischer's Top 10 Eastern European Novels (The Guardian )
- 7th on Kanon na koniec wieku (Canon at the end of the century) (Rzeczpospolita (newspaper))
- 24th on Big Read (Bulgarian) (Bulgaria)
- 37th on 100 Books of Classical and Modern Foreign Literature (The Union of Russian Writers)
- 66th on Big Read (Hungarian) (Hungaria)
- 109th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 673rd on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Best Political Books (Guardian)
- 500 Must Read Books (The Daily Telegraph)
- Best Books Ever (Book Depository)
- Books that Shaped the Century (LOGOS 20th Century Books Project)
- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher (Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher)
- Magnesia Litera: The Books of the Century (Magnesia Litera)
- "Our Readable Century", The Best Books of the 20th Century -- Honorable Mention ( January Magazine)
- The 100 Best Novels in Translation by Boyd Tonkin (Book)
- The 100 Greatest Novels (Nezavisimaya Gazeta (Russian Newspaper))
- The Best War and History Books of All Time (Telegraph)
- The Bigger Read List (English PEN)
- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century (New York Public Library)
- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) (Tidningen Boken)
- ZEIT-Bibliothek der 100 Bücher (Die Zeit)