Writing Underground by Martin Machovec

Writing Underground by Martin Machovec

In this collection of writings produced between 2000 and 2018, the pioneering literary historian of the Czech underground, Martin Machovec, examines the multifarious nature of the underground phenomenon. After devoting considerable attention to the circle surrounding the band The Plastic People of the Universe and their manager, the poet Ivan M. Jirous, Machovec turns outward to examine the broader concept of the underground, comparing the Czech incarnation not only with the movements of its Central and Eastern European neighbors, but also with those in the world at large. In one essay, he reflects on the so-called Půlnoc Editions, which published illegal texts in the darkest days of the late forties and early fifties. In other essays, Machovec examines the relationship between illegal texts published at home (samizdat) and those smuggled out to be published abroad (tamizdat), as well as the range of literature that can be classified as samizdat, drawing attention to movements frequently overlooked by literary critics. In his final, previously unpublished essay, Machovec examines Jirous’s “Report on the Third Czech Musical Revival” not as a merely historical document, but as literature itself.

Machovec, Martin: - Martin Machovec is an editor, teacher of English, literary historian and critic, and translator. He is a lecturer in the Department of Czech literature, Faculty of Philosophy, at Charles University, Prague.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9788024641256
ISBN 10	8024641259
Title	Writing Underground
Author	Martin Machovec
Series	Modern Czech Classics
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Karolinum,Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy,Czech Republic
Year published	2020-07-01
Number of pages	200
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.