Travelers' Tales Prague and the Czech Republic True Stories

by Farley, David; Sholl, Jessie; Klima, Ivan

• ISBN13: 9781932361339
• ISBN10: 1932361332
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-03-01
• Publisher: Travelers' Tales

Summary

Featuring essays by Paulina Poriskova, Myla Goldberg, Helen Epstein, Jan Morris, and Francine Prose, Travelers' Tales Prague and the Czech Republic collects over 30 stories from the country that inspired compositions from Mozart and novels from Kafka. With a sizable expat population, remarkable architecture unspoiled by war or natural disaster, and a lively night life, the Czech Republic's capital city boasts a population of 1.1 million and is a virtual must for travelers to Eastern and Central Europe. The pieces in this book are both a charming enticement for prospective travelers and a welcome companion for those already there. Landmarks like the Charles Bridge and Hradcany Castle provide a dramatic backdrop to stories that range from educational to enlightening to laugh-out-loud funny. The anecdotes featured here include a Kafkaesque visit to the castle, reminiscences of a supermodel native daughter's exile and return, musings on southern Bohemia's fairy-tale appearance, and a fast-paced joust with the local police. Travelers' Tales Prague shines a bright light on a stirring place.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xiii
Ivan Klima
Part One ESSENCE OF PRAGUE
The Spirit of Rieger Park	3	(8)
Maxim Biller
Ilona Vandergriff
Havel's City	11	(6)
Thomas Swick
Prague Vignettes	17	(6)
Jan Morris
The Magicians of Prague	23	(3)
Phil Cousineau
Going Off Script	26	(9)
Jessie Sholl
Is Just Like Amerika	35	(19)
Brad Wetzler
Eastern Exposure	54	(6)
Amy Miller
Courtesies	60	(4)
Allison Williams
Going Native	64	(7)
Evan Rail
The White Monk	71	(11)
Mary Morris
My Listek	82	(6)
Larry O'Connor
Soviet No More	88	(8)
Stephanie Elizondo Griest
Let a Thousand Satellite Dishes Bloom	96	(9)
Robert Eversz
In Love with George Bush	105	(3)
Karla Zimmerman
Alan Levy 101: A Eulogy	108	(9)
Richard Katrovas
Part Two SOME THINGS TO DO
The Kiss	117	(4)
Edith Pearlman
In Search of Kampa	121	(5)
Mary Morris
More Interesting than a Naked Woman	126	(5)
Timothy Weston
Concrete City	131	(7)
Steven Logan
Naked in Bohemia	138	(7)
Betsey Odell
The Almighty Child	145	(5)
Christine H. O'toole
Bohemia, Where Fairy Tales Might Be True	150	(10)
Francine Prose
Why Prague Shines	160	(6)
April Orcutt
Slow Train through Bohemia	166	(6)
Nicky Gardner
Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder	172	(9)
Jason Lapeyre
Part Three GOING YOUR OWN WAY
The Universal Language	181	(8)
D. A. Blyler
You Can't Go Home Again	189	(9)
Paulina Porizkova
Natural Born Pig-Killers	198	(9)
David Farley
Seeing Is Believing	207	(7)
A. E. Souzis
Full Moon over Bohemia	214	(8)
Christopher Cook
Praha Magicka	222	(9)
Birgit Nielsen
The Disappearance of Honza Happy	231	(11)
Aaron Hamburger
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Czech Republic	242	(6)
Alexander Zaitchik
Brewing Up Controversy in Pilsen	248	(6)
Robert Glick
Returning	254	(11)
Helen Epstein
Part Four IN THE SHADOWS
Snared	265	(10)
Myla Goldberg
Kafka's Ghost	275	(6)
John Hayter
Two Glimpses of History	281	(8)
Davi Walders
Prague's Vomiting Multitude	289	(6)
Jeremy Hurewitz
Part Five THE LAST WORD
The Art of a Wasted Day	295	(8)
Patricia Hampl
Czech Pronunciation Guide	303	(1)
Index of Contributors	304	(1)
Acknowledgments	305