Ordinary Lives [Paperback]

Josef Skvorecky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

Set against the backdrop of two class reunions — one in 1963, and the next in 1993, 30 years later — Ordinary Lives resurrects Skvorecky’s former narrator and alter ego, Danny Smiricky. As the reunions force Danny to reconcile himself to his past, he is plagued by a “torrent of ungovernable thoughts.” And as his former classmates begin to understand how he’s spent the intervening years, the reader is guided through a history of the major ideologies of the 20th century: from Nazism, to Communism, to capitalism. Skvorecky juxtaposes the defining moments of the modern era with the ordinary lives of his recurring characters. Beautifully written, slim but powerful, this novel is an apt culmination of a literary master’s extraordinary career.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

JOSEF SKVORECKY is an award-winning author whose novels include The Cowards, The Bass Saxophone, The Swell Season and The Engineer of Human Souls. Among his numerous literary awards are the Neustadt International Prize for Literature (1980), the Governor General’s Award for Fiction (1984) and the Czech Republic State Prize for Literature (1999). He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1982, awarded the Order of the White Lion by the President of Czechoslovakia, Václav Havel, in 1990, and in 1992 was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Key Porter Books (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886194482
• ISBN-13: 978-0886194482
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #911,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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