Prague, a city steeped in history and mystique, has served as a backdrop for many memorable novels.
From the cobblestone streets to the Gothic architecture, the city’s picturesque environs and haunting past have inspired writers to create stories that resonate with an essence unique to this ancient city.
Here, we explore seven novels that transport readers into the heart of the Czech capital, showcasing its beauty, its darkness, and the myriad tales woven into its tapestry.
“The Golem” is a seminal work of Gustav Meyrink, published in 1915.
This novel plumbs the depths of Prague’s Jewish ghetto, where reality blends with the supernatural.
Meyrink’s narrative revolves around the reawakening of a Golem, a creature of Jewish folklore molded from clay and brought to life through Kabbalistic magic.
The tale is set amidst the twisted lanes and enigmatic shadows of the city’s old Jewish Quarter, where protagonist Athanasius Pernath experiences a surrealist journey through identity, mysticism, and existential angst.
Meyrink’s depiction of Prague is at once eerie and entrancing, capturing the spiritual and historical echoes that resound from the city’s ancient walls.
Jaroslav Hašek’s “The Good Soldier Švejk” is a masterpiece of satirical literature, introducing one of the most enduring characters in Czech fiction.
The tale is set during World War I, with Prague serving as the starting point of Švejk’s dubious adventures.
Hašek captures the essence of the Czech spirit through Švejk’s clever naivety, which both satirizes the absurdity of war and accentuates the vibrant character of Prague’s populace.
As readers follow Švejk’s journey, they are also offered glimpses into the everyday life and political atmosphere of the period, all set against the recognizable landmarks and streets of Prague.
In “The Prague Orgy,” author Philip Roth takes readers on a journey into the dissident world of 1970s Prague.
The novel is an extension of Roth’s Zuckerman series, where his alter-ego protagonist, Nathan Zuckerman, travels to Prague to rescue the manuscripts of a Yiddish writer.
The city, under the grip of communist surveillance, becomes both a character and a daunting backdrop.
Roth’s portrayal reveals a Prague filled with intellectual passion and the perilous undertones of a society resisting censorship.
It’s a tale that glimpses behind the Iron Curtain, uncovering a Prague that seethes with the desire for artistic freedom and the burdens of political oppression.
Laurent Binet’s “HHhH” is a work that defies conventional genre classifications, blending historical fact with imaginative recreation.
The acronym HHhH stands for “Himmlers Hirn heißt Heydrich” (“Himmler’s brain is called Heydrich”), referring to Reinhard Heydrich, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust.
The novel centers on the Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of Heydrich in Prague, unfolding a gripping narrative that delves deep into the heart of Nazi atrocities.
Binet’s meticulous account weaves together the streets of Prague with the chilling tension of the operation, capturing the fear and bravery that permeated the city under Nazi occupation.
Laini Taylor’s “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” takes a fantastical approach to the city of Prague.
This young adult novel follows the blue-haired art student Karou as she navigates a life split between the human world and that of the chimaera—creatures composed of different parts of animals and humans.
Set in a version of Prague that vibrates with magic and mystery, Taylor’s vivid imagination transforms the historical city into a playground for angels and demons.
The iconic Charles Bridge and twisting streets become the backdrop for an otherworldly tale that captures the enchanting ambiance Prague is known for.
Milan Kundera, a titan of Czech literature, explores themes of exile and homecoming in “Ignorance.”
The novel focuses on two immigrants who, after decades living abroad, return to post-communist Prague.
Their homecoming is fraught with emotional upheaval, as memories clash with the present, and the city they once knew now feels foreign.
Through the eyes of these returnees, Kundera paints a Prague that is both a haunting specter of the past and a canvas for new beginnings.
His incisive commentary on memory and identity is interlaced with the landscapes and mood of a city in transition.
“Miss Silver’s Past” invites readers into the life of a Czech woman whose past as a collaborator during the Nazi regime lurks at the edges of her seemingly normal life in Prague.
Josef Škvorecký constructs a narrative that unravels the web of her history, as well as the collective memory of Czech society.
The city’s neighborhoods, cafes, and the ever-present Vltava River are more than the setting; they are silent witnesses to her secrets and to the historical events that shaped them.
As her narrative wends through the streets of Prague, the city becomes a living archive of her concealed truths.