"I see a Great City"- Daniela Hodrová
It was last October (2013) when the itch to return to Prague hit me.
I had been working in my new, post university job for a few months and I was starting to crave dumplings, Becherovka and the sight of the Charles Bridge. Given that my girlfriend was travelling herself, I decided to book a few days in Prague over Easter, accompanied by a friend who had never been to the Czech Republic before.
With this in mind, my girlfriend got me this book for Christmas- Prague: A Traveler's Literary Companion, edited by Paul Wilson. I was delighted with the gift (she knows me well) and avidly worked my way through the short stories in the weeks preceding my mini break to the Czech capital.
The book is a collection of short stories which all centre on the city of Prague, paying homage to its beautiful buildings, eclectic residents and turbulent history. Whilst the collection contains works by well known Czech writers, such as Kafka, Čapek, Hrabal etc., it also contains works by lesser known authors, giving the reader a real variety of voices and reflections of the city.
The stories are roughly divided up into the different parts of the city, including the Old Town, Malá Strana, Charles Bridge and so on and touch on some of the most pertinent passages of Czech history. I have picked out two stories which particularly captured my imagination.
The first story I'd like to mention is called The Sword of St. Wenceslas by František Langer which tells an adapted version of the famous legend.
In Langer's tale, the sword of St. Wenceslas is discovered by the children of Prague on Christmas Eve and rather than remaining in the bowels of the Charles Bridge where the sword traditionally is said to be, the children decide to keep the sword hidden amongst themselves, to protect it from the German occupiers, ready for when St. Wenceslas rises again to liberate the Czech people.
The Sword of St. Wenceslas is a beautifully written story, evoking the spirit of Prague at Christmas time and touching upon the hardships the city has experienced in its eventful past. I found it to be extremely moving, especially when I considered the continual bouts of upheaval the city has seen over the centuries.
The second story I wish to pick out is The Receipt by Karel Čapek. This story is revolves around the importance of keeping hold of those tiny, seemingly inconsequential scraps of paper as Police Officer Soudek recounts the story of a young girl who was murdered but unable to be identified.
The receipt found in her coat pocket was used to discover the murdered girl's identity through Soudek's intuitive yet somewhat improbable trail of investigation. The whole affair is told to the slightly taken aback Minka and her father Pepa, who were simply sat having an evening drink.
The Receipt is wonderfully woven story which illuminates the importance that even the most minute of details can carry in an investigation, but also how Officer Soudek's knowledge of the people of Prague and their habits helped him to solve the mystery of the unidentified victim.
Paul Wilson's book is full of charming tales, serving as a great read for those who are already fond of Prague and equally for those who are about to discover it for the first time. If I had more time during my last visit I would have loved to walk round the streets with the book in my hand, retracing the steps of some of the characters, but that particular venture will have to wait for another time.
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of stories about Prague and would recommend it to anyone with of a love of that great city.
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