The Czechs are known not only for producing great beer, but also great literature. The long years of Nazi occupation and then communist rule did not diminish the creative spirit. Perhaps the most widely read and translated Czech author is Milan Kundera, whose novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a world classic. Czech poet Jaroslav Seifert won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1984, and several other 20th century writers have gained international recognition, including Josef Skvorecky and Ivan Klima. Former Czech president Vaclav Havel, who helped usher the downfall of communism, was a popular playwright and essayist. And, of course, Franz Kafka was from Prague (though he wrote in German). Perhaps the Czech Republic’s most beloved author is Bohumil Hrabal (1914 – 1997). We introduce him here, not only as a compliment to the Prague brewery feature, but also because of his life-long ties to breweries and pubs. His legacy was so great, in fact, that Czech president Havel and then-U.S. president Bill Clinton met him at his favorite pub, the Golden Tiger, in 1994.

Hrabal grew up in a brewery (Nymburk) and many of his novels echo the language of pubs and breweries. He seems to have listened in on the conversations around him, and much of the slang, colloquialisms and lewd content of those conversations appear in his dialogue. His style is lyrical and highly expressive, with characters that are often comical and foolish, but sometimes have moments of profound insight.

His Novel The Little Town Where Time Stood Still takes place in a brewery and depicts the lives of its workers and their boisterous environment. His most widely known international work, Closely Watched Trains, was made into a film by the same name in 1966. Winner of the 1967 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, it details the life of a young train station worker who falls absurdly in love under Nazi occupation. I Served the King of England was suppressed by communist censors, but gained international appeal and was also made into a movie in 2006, by the same director, Jiri Menzel. But perhaps my favorite work, the novella Too Loud a Solitude, follows the life and thoughts of a garbage worker who, yes, likes to drink. This work became available in Japanese translation in 2007. It is comic, poetic, thoughtful, heartbreaking and ultimately beautiful. It’s a relatively undiscovered gem among literature, and makes for a great read with a pint or three.

This article was published in Japan Beer Times # () and is among the limited content available online. Order your copy through our online shop or download the digital version from the iTunes store to access the full contents of this issue.