Too Loud a Solitude
Bohumil Hrabal (1914-1997)
RG Gold Medal 2004
29th April 2004 at Max's house
Synopsis
Too Loud a Solitude is a tender and funny story of
Hant'a - a man who has lived in a Czech police state - for
35 years, working as compactor of wastepaper and books. In
the process of compacting, he has acquired an education so
unwitting he can't quite tell which of his thoughts are his
own and which come from his books. He has rescued many from
jaws of hydraulic press and now his house is filled to the
rooftops. Destroyer of the written word, he is also its perpetuator.
But when a new automatic press makes his job redundant there's
only one thing he can do - go down with his ship.
This is an eccentric romp celebrating the indestructibility
- against censorship, political oppression etc. - of the written
word.
Published reviews
Short, sharp and eccentric. Sophisticated, thought-provoking
and pithy
The Spectator
Unmissable, combines extremes of comedy and seriousness,
plus pathos, slapstick, sex and violence...
Independent on Sunday
Devastating... a superb book and a magnificent author
Independent
Our comments
A wonderful discovery. Funny, touching, imaginative, extraordinary.
A magnificent book with so much to think and talk about and
yet less than a 100 pages. Brilliant.
Related resources
Biography
on Pegasos site
|