Black Barons (book)

Black Barons (Czech: Černí baroni [1]) is a novel written by Miloslav Švandrlík[2] in the period of Prague Spring and published in 1969. Due to the political situation at the time, Švandrlík was not able to publish for some time. Second, additional publication of this book was only possible after the Velvet Revolution (in 1990). The work is a humorous novel with military background.

Genesis

The first part was published in 1969 by the publishing house Vysočina (Havlíčkův Brod). The novel has 17 chapters and ends with a chapter in which the main character, Kefalin, desperate for extending his service for another year, gets drunk with cider. Švandrlík continued writing the second part, although it was clear that an uncompromising political normalization was under way and that the book could not be published in Czechoslovakia. It was published in exile, though, in 1975 in Zurich, under Švandrlík's pseudonym Rudolf Kefalin,[3] and in London in 1988 by the Alexander Tomský's exile publishing house Rozmluvy[4][5] At the same time the work spread in samizdat in Czechoslovakia.[6] Both parts consisting of 29 chapters were published as a whole in the 1990 edition (300,000 copies) after the Velvet Revolution. In 1981 the third part was published in Zurich, again under the alias Rudolf Kefalín, however, Švandrlík vigorously rejected the authorship of this sequel. It is attributed to Miloš Miltner instead.[3]

Plot

It pictures an ironic and satiric form of absurdity in the socialist army not long after the end of WW2. Without taking in consideration the cold war at the time and the fact that former Czechoslovakia was on the front line of potential armed conflict, Švandrlík focuses on day to day joys and sorrows of soldiers at Auxiliary Technical Unit (In Czech called Pomocný technický prapor) at which he allegedly served his time. The story takes place on Zelená Hora Castle in town of Nepomuk.[7]

Associated publications

After the year 1990 Švandrlík wrote a number of books which followed on from Black Barons:

  • Říkali mu Terazky aneb šest půllitrů u Jelínků ("He was called Terazky and six pints at 'U Jelínka'")
  • Pět sekyr poručíka Hamáčka ("Five axes of Lieutenant Hamáček")
  • Lásky Černého barona ("The loves of the Black Baron")
  • Kam to kráčíš, Kefalíne? ("Where are you off to Kefalín?")
  • Růžové sny pilného hňupa aneb Poručíme větru, dešti ("Pink dreams of diligent tosser and 'We will order to the wind and rain'" [a communist motto])
  • Černí baroni po čtyřiceti letech ("The Black Barons after forty years")
  • Černí baroni těsně před kremací ("The Black Barons shortly before the cremation")
  • Stoletý major Terazky ("A hundred years old Terazky")
  • Černý baron od Botiče ("The Black Baron from Botič")
  • Terazky na hrad ("Terazky onto the throne")
  • Terazkyho poslední džob ("Terazky's last job")
  • Terazky v tunelu doktora Moodyho ("Terazky in tunnel of Doctor Moody")
  • Nesmiřitelný Terazky ("Irreconcilable Terazky")
  • Černí baroni útočí na obrazovku ("The Black Barons are attacking the TV screen" [insight into the film])
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See also

References
  1. Švadrlík, Miloslav (2018-06-13). Černí baroni: Aneb válčili jsme za Čepičky (in Czech). Epocha. ISBN 9788075573803.
  2. Zemřel Miloslav Švandrlík, autor Černých baronů, ČeskéNoviny.cz, 26. 10. 2009
  3. "Černí baroni: novel and movie" (PDF).
  4. "Slovník české literatury". www.slovnikceskeliteratury.cz. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  5. Winter, Jiří; Kopecký, Jaroslav (2012-01-01). Tučná linka černou tuší: aneb NEPRAKTYcké vzpomínání (in Czech). Albatros Media a.s. ISBN 9788074251313.
  6. "Zemřel autor Černých baronů, spisovatel Miloslav Švandrlík". iDNES.cz. 2009-10-26. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  7. "Greenmountain Castle | Location Black Barons". Zelenahora.cz. 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2016-12-09.


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