The “The Golem” by Gustav Meyrink is a dark and strange tale set in the mystical streets of Prague’s Jewish Quarter.
It follows the story of Athanasius Pernath, a jeweler whose life becomes tangled with mysterious characters, eerie visions, and the legend of the Golem, a mythical creature said to come to life to protect the oppressed.
The novel blends reality and the supernatural, creating an unsettling dreamlike atmosphere that captures the mood of the city.
The novel “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” by Milan Kundera follows the intertwined lives of four main characters in Soviet-occupied Prague during the 1960s and 70s.
It centers on Tomas, a doctor torn between his love for Tereza, his wife, and his attraction to Sabina, an artist. Their lives play out against a backdrop of political oppression and personal freedom, exploring themes of love, choices, and the meaning of existence.
“The Good Soldier Švejk” by Jaroslav Hašek follows the misadventures of Švejk, a man who is either foolish or brilliantly subversive, as he fumbles through life in the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I.
The story combines absurd humor and sharp satire, showcasing Švejk’s knack for causing chaos in the midst of military bureaucracy. Whether he’s tangling with incompetent officers or undermining authority, Švejk’s antics reveal the absurdities of war and human systems.
The novel “Ignorance” by Milan Kundera follows two exiles, Irena and Josef, who return to Prague after years abroad and wrestle with the nature of memory and identity.
Through their experiences, the story explores how the past shapes the present and how home can feel both familiar and distant. As they reconnect, their encounters bring up moments of longing and the way time alters perception.
“Daughter of Smoke and Bone” by Laini Taylor follows Karou, a blue-haired art student living in Prague. Her seemingly ordinary life hides a bizarre reality—she was raised by chimaera, part-human, part-animal beings, who send her on dangerous errands across the world.
The beauty of Prague forms a vivid backdrop as Karou begins to uncover secrets about her past, her true identity, and her connection to a centuries-old war.
Laurent Binet’s “HHhH” tells the story of two Czech resistance fighters who set out to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, a high-ranking Nazi official known as “The Butcher of Prague.”
The book weaves historical events with the author’s own reflections on writing about them, crafting a unique perspective on this harrowing mission during World War II.
The novel “Memento” by Radek John follows the bleak life of Michal, a teenager caught in the grip of drug addiction in 1980s Prague.
The story paints a harsh picture of the struggles faced by a young man as he spirals deeper into the world of addiction, losing touch with family and reality.
It’s a raw and thought-provoking look at how quickly life can unravel in the shadow of dependency and societal pressures.
The novel “The Prague Orgy” by Philip Roth follows author Nathan Zuckerman as he travels to Prague during the 1970s to retrieve a Yiddish manuscript.
His journey immerses him in a world of political oppression, strange encounters, and a vibrant yet stifled cultural scene under communist rule.
The story captures the tension and absurdity of life in a repressive regime, with vivid depictions of Zuckerman’s interactions in this dangerous yet fascinating environment.
The book “Miss Silver’s Past” by Josef Škvorecký follows an exiled Czech detective, Lieutenant Boruvka, as he investigates the mysterious death of a woman known as Miss Silver in Prague before World War II.
The story weaves through the layers of her life, revealing secrets and connections to the shifting political tensions of the time. The setting and characters give a vivid sense of the atmosphere in Prague during that era.