There is much more to Skvorecky, who created a Czech detective, a lovable overweight schlemiel named Lt. Boruvka. Let’s just say he’s no Sherlock Holmes, but he knows how to investigate murders, and he gets his man — and even his woman, on a lucky day — more often than not, and in the process tells us a lot about Communist bureaucracy in the late stages of the failure of the Soviet system.
And then there’s his little contribution to the Baker Street Irregulars, that international association of Sherlock lovers. Father Knox, a brilliant Catholic theologian best known for a very important book on “Enthusiasm,” was also a member, and authored the basic rules — the “ten commandments” — for murder mysteries, which included things like the limits on false identities, secret passageways, and the like. So Skovrercky, with his delightful wit and playful mind, wrote Sins for Father Knox, a collection of short stories in each of which at least one of Father Knox’s commandments is violated. Skovercky can’t resist taunting the reader, every so often sticking in a little italicized line saying something like “by now you should have figured out which rule has been broken,” heh.
Finally, there’s his legacy, which extends well beyond his books. He had a radio show on VOA, and it consisted of him reading the classics of Czech literature. Just that. No thumb sucking, no commentary, just the literature.
Shortly after the wall came down, I visited Prague and asked a professor at the university about Skovercky. “He saved the Czech language with his radio show,” the prof said. “Under Communism, public language degenerated, and words simply disappeared, or changed their meanings. He reminded us what the language really was.”
We could do with that ourselves. Meanwhile, take the time to read some of this great man’s works; he really was a wonder.
Engineer of human souls was outstanding. It has been ages since I read it but I do recall a hilarious scene with a miniature protest blimp flying around an auditorium or something.
From the engineer of human souls to the bass saxophone and mis silver’s past, skevorecky was a bright wonderful light. I remember turning the last page in his masterpiece and being filled with sadness that there wwas no more. Hwis works and his words, with Havel’s, fueled a cultural resistance to tyranny that defeated a police state with the power of words an unstoppable thirst for liberty. In an endless smoky jazz.club in paradise, skevorcky and Havel are smoking and drinking beer with jaroslavhasek waiting for Milan Kundera and a few other warriors of freedom to join them in an endless soulful and wonderful debate
Rest Josef Skevorecky. Rest well knowing your words were more powerful than 100000 men with guns.
I started reading Good Soldier Schweik a few years ago, enjoyed it. Now I can do some more reading. I’ll be checking for this author now, in the Barnes & Noble website. Except that in your article, his last name is spelled a few different ways!!
A sad loss. I am a huge fan of Skorvecky and The Engineer of Human Souls is a masterpiece. The Bass Saxphone is tremendous, as well. RIP Josef.
Take it from a Czech, the spelling is Josef Skvorecky (like in this article’s title). I read his biggest Czech bestseller, “The Cowards”, as a teen – great yarn. I think it was his last book that the communist censors let out, before his exile. A story of a bunch of college kids in a small Czech town in 1945, as the war’s winding down. They were into swing, not polka; Hollywood movies, not Czech operas; and ready to fight the Nazis if they could do it in a style of Chicago gangsters – not as organized members of communist or nationalist underground. It made great impression on me and my peers – 70s in Eastern Bloc were time of “normalization” – back to repression… He later did huge and thankless work as a publisher in Toronto of exiled or banned Czech writers – he published anyone. Also, he was a great lover of the English language. RIP
Could you give us a pronunciation, Martin? I go with Shoresky but like my spelling, it’s probably way off.
It’s works like these that really should be digitised for Kindle.
By all means – that’s how Amazon got big in the first place. Easy and wide distribution of low-cost, specialized items.
Thomas, the closest would be “Shkvoretzkee”… I know, it’s one of those names. A half of Havel’s popularity abroad was due to the fact people could pronounce his name. Just kidding..
Děkuji, Martin.
Thank you, sir!! I now have a new author to read.