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The Good Soldier Svejk: and His Fortunes in the World War (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 1995

by Cecil Parrott (Translator), Jaroslav Hasek (Introduction)

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The Good Soldier Svejk: and His Fortunes in the World War (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin)

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Product Details

Series: Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin
Mass Market Paperback: 784 pages
Publisher: Penguin Classics (August 23, 1990)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0140182748
ISBN-13: 978-0140182743
Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.3 x 7.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #475,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4124 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > War
- #4658 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Humor & Satire > Humorous
- #10067 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Classics

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Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars

5 star		71%
4 star		19%
3 star		10%
2 star		0%
1 star		0%

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful

Humbly Report, Sir...

By Jeff Hubbell on February 1, 2002

Format: Mass Market Paperback

The Good Soldier Svejk is one of the classics of literature that sprang from the flesh-fertilized grounds of World War 1. But Svejk is a war book with a twist. It is profoundly funny -- hiliarious in fact, an antiwar novel that wanders throughout the realm of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire without getting anywhere near the Russian front for a long time. Unlike Remarque's brooding "All Quiet on the Western Front", or Lawrence's memoir "Seven Pillars of Wisdom", Hasek's novel views the war as a great absurdist event, a colossal stupidity witnessed by a small stupid person, Svjek (who prior to the war, made his living by selling dogs with forged pedigrees). But Svejk isn't stupid. He PLAYS dumb all right, because he knows that's how one survives. Hasek lays bare the ridiculousness of the old Habsburg monarchy: the ethnic rivalries, the endless bureaucracies, religions of convenience, the military heirarchy, as seen through the eyes of the not-as-simple-as-he-seems Czech reservist, Svjek. Through a series of mishaps, blunders, deliberate scams and other reasons, Sjvek always seems to somehow just avoid going to the front, until the very end of the book, which has kind of a surprise ending all its own. It is a wordy book (largely because Hasek wrote the book as a serial published in an Czech newspaper -- he was paid by the word), but an immensely fun one nevertheless. Considering all the serious literature that came out of the First World War, Sjvek is a hilarious treat with a serious subtext that hasn't lost its power to entertain and provoke thought. It's not to be missed.

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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

On par with Cervantes

By doc peterson VINE VOICE on October 26, 2003

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Just as Don Quixote is the seminal piece of Spanish literature, and War and Peace defines Russian lit, so does Hasek's classic capture the essence of the Bohemian soul, and the ridiculousness and pointlessness of World War I.
In doing the bare minimum to be considered competent, we see the nature of Czech resistance to Austro-Hungarian (and later, Soviet) authority - as Havel put it some fifty years later, it is the "power of the powerless" - subverting authority from within while seemingly going along with the grandious designs of the ruling elite.
Svejk is a common footsoldier - an "everyman" - who frankly would rather have a beer than fight, and has no real interest in the war or its outcome. The humor is subtle, the satire biting, the social criticism of Austro-Hungarian class structure dead on. Some of the jokes and jabs may be a bit above the heads of those not familiar with the history or culture of the region. It his, however, an enjoyable - and I dare say classic - read.

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

Excellent translation of the original masterpiece!

By dbrich98 on March 9, 2000

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Contrary to "a reader from Westboro, MA," I believe this is one of the best English translations ever attempted. I DO speak Czech, and have read Svejk in both languages.
My Czech professors in California urged me to buy it in 1991, saying that the translator had done a very good job of capturing some of the nuances of the Prague accent. Now that I have lived all over Bohemia, I agree. Of course, no translation can possibly be as good as the original, but this one is about as close as they come.
They also said that if I wanted to truly understand the way Czechs think, I had to read this book. Much has changed since it was written, including the typical Czech mindset. However, many of the older Czechs with whom I spoke insisted that Svejk describes the true mentality of many typical Czechs of the period, and were excited that an American would actually be interested in truly learning the cultural and literary history of such a small nation.
History buffs occasionally scratch their heads and wonder why the Czechs have always made some of the best weapons in the world, but rarely used them. With an irreverent, bumbling style, Hasek and Svejk show us why many Czechs throughout history have preferred to "switch their coats" and go with the flow of the everchanging dominant powers, rather than be trampled underfoot.
Both the book and the translation deserve five stars.

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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

One of the true classics written in witty and original style

By A Customer on November 19, 1999

Format: Mass Market Paperback

The Good Soldier Svejk is like no other book I have ever read. It is truly a classic war satire and is on par with books like Catch 22. I see it as the spawn of many satires written about WWII however quite rightly no author has ever tried to replicate the style that it was written in. Jaroslav Hasek had one of the most interesting lives of any author, switching from Austro-Hungarian to Russian Monarchist to Bolshevik to Czech nationalist during WWI and his life story is reflected somewhat in his story while he illustrates it with brilliant humour.
The character of Svejk is developed in such an intricate way that makes it difficult to discover his real purposes but the book is not damaged in the slightest by the fact that it was cut short because of Hasek's untimely death. In fact it has only helped to cultivate the Svejk legend.
I encourage ANYONE to read this book. If your knowledge of Austria-Hungary and WWI is lacking, then this is the best way to learn!

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

Perhaps the Funniest Novel Ever

By Stephen M. Kerwick on June 19, 2000

Format: Mass Market Paperback

I first read Hasek's masterpiece almost 30 years ago in a shorter and more Bowdlerized translation. The Cecil Parrot edition is, needless to say, much preferable (it contains a wonderful introduction including a discussion of Czech profanity as compared to English) and I've read it again and again since it came out in 1974. Shelby Foote said somewhere that every year he reads Proust as a sort of literary vacation. About ever 2 or 3 years I reread Svejk to clean my literary palate and it's always as fresh and as enjoyable as it was the first time. The dialogue, the characters and the situations in Svejk are, stated simply, the funniest I've ever read. Many other books have many merits in this regard, but none has approached Hasek in the sustained hilarity over 500 pages or more. The secret policeman, Bretschneider, Chaplain Katz, Sergeant Major Vanek, Cadet Biegler, Balloun and Lt. Dub are each memorable characters but when they interact they surpass anything I have ever read for comedy. The term "laugh out loud" is much used and abused recently, but The Good Soldier Svejk will have you disturbing family and friends repeatedly with guffawing any time you read it in their presence. I can't give a text any higher recommendation.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Very good but it goes on too long....

Joseph Heller is reported to have said that he could not have written Catch 22 if he had not first read The Good Soldier Svejk, and, indeed, the similarities between the two are... Read more

Published 1 month ago by gammyraye

Five Stars

Classic. Not for kids under 16 for sure.

Published 1 month ago by Anatolii Corobceanu

Five Stars

if you like slaughter house five you will love this book...

Published 4 months ago by cassandra

Funniest passage I've ever read .

Funniest passage I've ever read is the part where Svejk ( pronounced svake , like bake ) , and the railway conductor both have their hand on the emergency stop pull-lever , and '... Read more

Published 9 months ago by oldtora

An idiot who isn't

This is another supposedly worthwhile book from 1001 Books to Read Before You Die. I had mixed feelings. The author was anti government and anti military in his approach to life. Read more

Published 14 months ago by James C. Casterline

excellent and super funny book !

This is wonderfully unexpected experience of an uneducated soldier in the Czech Army who is constantly getting into trouble but who really has more common sense than most of the... Read more

Published on October 15, 2013 by Edwin McCready

A satirical look at one of histories worst moments

The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek.

Translated by Cecil Parrott.

This book was recommended by a friend of mine who come from Russia and had previously... Read more

Published on August 31, 2013 by J.L. D.

Of great historical interest

This is an indispensable read, if only to give an impression of a European army pre 1918. I understand that it motivated Joseph Heller to write Catch 22. Great satire.

Published on December 3, 2012 by Dirtlawyer

Profoundly Important, Catastrophically Funny

This firsthand account of service in WWI by a gifted Bohemian intellectual, is recounted as ironic blind-drunk adventure. Read more

Published on August 30, 2012 by W. R. Isaacs

Schwejk Teaches Us All a Lesson in Survival

I read the first two sections of this four section book and am undecided as to whether I will complete the third and fourth sections. Read more

Published on May 29, 2012 by Mark Clegg