A World Apart and Other Stories: Czech Women Writers at the Fin de Siecle

A collection of short stories by Czech women from the turn of the twentieth century.

A World Apart brings together translations of eight stories by Czech women from the turn of the twentieth century-a period of female political emancipation and impressive literary development in Czechoslovakia. Though they’re little known to an English-language public today, all of the writers featured in the book were recognized in their own day and constitute a cross-section of the literary styles of the period. Anna Maria Tilschova’s A Sad Time is written in a naturalist style, while Ruzena Jesenska’s A World Apart presents themes and motifs that appealed to the Decadents. Helena Malirova’s The Sylph is both diaristic and satirical, whereas Ruzena Svobodova’s ironical A Great Passion, with its rural setting and folklore motifs, calls to mind the writings of Karel Jaromir Erben. Gabriela Preissova’s short story Eva may be read as a celebration of folk culture, and Bozena Benesova’s Friends is interesting for its psychological presentation of a child’s point of view and its implicit criticism of anti-Semitism. The book is accompanied by the biographies of each author and an introduction by editor and translator Kathleen Hayes.