Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime & FREE Returns

FREE delivery: Friday, Sep 3 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Fastest delivery: Saturday, Aug 28

Only 5 left in stock (more on the way).

$$15.00 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from	Amazon.com
Sold by	Amazon.com

Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Return policy: Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery: Friday, Sep 3 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Fastest delivery: Saturday, Aug 28

Used: Like New | Details

Sold by Books Bound 4U

Fulfilled by Amazon

Share

Other Sellers on Amazon

$13.20
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: Diagon Alley Book Store

$14.00
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: brent0033

$14.30
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: ecampus

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Follow the Author

Richard D. E. Burton

Prague: A Cultural History (Interlink Cultural Histories) Paperback – April 16, 2013

by Richard D. E. Burton (Author)

24 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Paperback

"Please retry"

$15.00

$12.00

$3.50

Paperback
$15.00

27 Used from $3.50 7 New from $12.00

Located at the very center of Europe, Prague has been on the frontline of international political, intellectual, religious, and cultural conflicts for more than six centuries. Invaded and occupied by the Habsburgs, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Nazis, and then Communist Russia, the city s identity is shaped by a long experience of foreign domination and a strong sense of martyrdom.

A treasure house of Gothic, baroque, and modernist architecture, Prague is also a city of icons and symbols: statues, saints and signs reveal a turbulent history of religious and cultural conflict. As Kafka s nightmare city and home of the Good Soldier _vejk, the Czech capital also produced two of the twentieth century s emblematic writers. Richard Burton explores this metropolis of theatrical allusion, in which politics and drama have always been intertwined. His interpretation of the city s cultural past and present encompasses opera and rock music, puppetry and cinema, surrealism and socialist realism. Looking at Prague s world-famous landmarks and lesser-known sites, his reading of the city through its writing and iconography is both perceptive and challenging.

* THE CITY OF ARTISTS AND WRITERS: The Castle and Kafka, Ha_ek and Kundera; music from Smetana to the Plastic People of the Universe; modernism and cubism; political theater and the playwright-president Václav Havel.

* THE CITY OF TYRANNY AND RESISTANCE: Jan Hus and anti-Catholic revolt; subjugation and the rise of Czech nationalism; Germans, Czechs and Jews; "Prague Spring" 1968, Charter 77 and the "Velvet Revolution" of November 1989.

* THE CITY OF MAGIC, MURDER, AND MYTH: Medieval alchemy and astrology; the myth of the Golem, the ghetto and anti-Semitism; living puppets, robots, and a tradition of defenestration.

Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Interlink Pub Group
Publication date

April 16, 2013
Dimensions

5 x 0.75 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

1566564905
ISBN-13

978-1566564908
See all details

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Peter Demetz
28
Hardcover
39 offers from $3.99
Peter (Stirling Professor Emerit Demetz
51
Paperback
32 offers from $4.70

Editorial Reviews

Review

Reading these guides is the next best thing to actually going there with them in hand.-- "ForeWord Magazine"

About the Author

Richard Burton was formerly Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Sussex University. He first visited Prague in 1970 and has recently relocated to France.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Interlink Pub Group; Illustrated edition (April 16, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1566564905
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1566564908
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.75 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,528,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #85 in General Czech Republic Travel Guides
- #1,850 in General Europe Travel Guides
- #7,797 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences

Customer Reviews:
24 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		55%
4 star		10%
3 star		26%
2 star		3%
1 star		6%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Amazon Customer

Wonderful history and easy to read

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2018

Verified Purchase

We are planning a trip to the Czech Republic for the first time. I’ve gotten several books but, this one is my favorite. Explains some interesting things like the chalice symbol and the palace in old town where the communist leader first spoke to the people from a balcony. I’m taking this book to Prague with me and will read about the Charles bridge and some of its gruesome details while walking across. Some books are too dry and way too detailed this book has the right amount of facts.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

ROBERT H BLUMBERG

Delivers what it promises, and more...

Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2014

Verified Purchase

My wife and I will be spending 10 days in Prague in April. When I travel I like to read historical and cultural literature about the location before I arrive. It gives me more information than guide books can provide improving the experince. In preparation, based on the reviews above, I read this book. The reviews are understated. This book deserves six stars! It is about the best book I have read about any city I have travelled to. I've gained an insight in to the places and peoples of Prague that will enrich our trip.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

The reader

A really compete book

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2013

Verified Purchase

We bought this book because we were going to Prague. But this book exceeded our expectations because it is not only that it explains Prague, it makes you understand it. It teaches you how people thought at some points in history, and even helps you understand their literature and art . Love it

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

gaming mom

Mix of History and Today

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2018

Verified Purchase

Really helpful for our visit to Prague. Great mix of history and how it relates to what you'll see in Prague today. Definitely not a guidebook, but also not a straight up history book.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

shoppernancy

Good Information, small print

Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2017

Verified Purchase

The print in this book is very small and makes it difficult to read. I believe the content is valuable and I am working at reading it. Sure wish the print was bigger

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Omeath

Good book

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2019

Verified Purchase

Good book, good read

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Mark Weinberg