Peter Demetz (1922–2024)

Picked this up to research a writing project; thanks to this book, my project exploded into something much bigger. DNF because it was due back to the library, but planning on purchasing it.

Peter Demetz delivers an excellent political and social history of Bohemia through the lens of Prague. I love this approach because it's both European history and local history, which gives the narrative a sense of continuity that historical surveys sometimes lack. Demetz is a sensitive historian and remains keenly aware of the human element in all that he writes.

Czech history truly has everything—an origin story that features a literal war between the sexes, kings and emperors who are brilliant politicians but also assholes, badass nuns, tenacious Jews, epic power struggles that cut across lines of class, religion, and ethnicity, magnificent castles, magnificent cathedrals, university drama, subversive writers, peasant uprisings, bourgeoisie uprisings, alchemists, astronomers, HERETICS SO MANY HERETICS, and all the major players in European politics leaving their thumbprints, one way or another. It is fascinating, heartbreaking stuff. And I only read through the year 1600!

Recommended for those seeking a fresh look at European history. It turns out I actually do like political history; my brain just tends to shut off at any mention of Lancasters and Yorks and Tudors. This book brings the machinations of political dynasties down to the human level.… (mais)

An entrancing avant-garde adventure at the dawn of the modern age

In 1909, municipal authorities built an airfield in northern Italy and invited leading pilots to compete on it. The show attracted thousands of spectators--among them Giacomo Puccini and Gabriele d'Annunzio--and reporters, including, amazingly, Franz Kafka, Max Brod, and Luigi Barzini. Peter Demetz's sparkling new book tells the enchanting story of what happened in the air and on the ground before, during, and after this amazing moment.
Demetz, an emeritus professor of German at Yale (Prague in Black and Gold), brings his research skills and background in literature to bear on this anecdotal account of a flying competition that took place in northern Italy during the early days of aviation. Attending the event, among other notables, were Franz Kafka and Italian poet Gabriele d'Annunzio. Kafka, who traveled to Brescia with several friends, including novelist and editor Max Brod, published a journalistic article about the show. D'Annunzio was infatuated with flying and managed to convince U.S. pilot Glenn Curtiss to take him on a flight that lasted only a few seconds. He later hitched a longer ride in a Wright biplane piloted by Italian aviator Mario Calderara. Composer Giacomo Puccini was also there, having fled his home for Brescia after a sex scandal that involved the suicide of a young servant girl, as Demetz narrates. In addition to an overview of the various flying contests (Curtiss won the grand prize), Demetz provides appealing thumbnail sketches of several competing pilots. Those interested in aviation history as well as a glimpse of the young Kafka will greatly enjoy this serendipitous account.… (mais)

In this book, Demetz describes the history of Prague from its mythic/more probable real origin to the death of T.G. Masaryk.

I found the book very informative and interesting. It’s organized into chapters, each one focusing on a historic period – the myth of Libuse and the archeological evidence for the origin of Prague, the reign of Premyslid Otakar, the advances in the 14th c. under Charles IV, Jan Hus and his revolution, the reign of Rudolf II, the Age of Reform under Maria Theresa and Joseph II, industrialization and revolutions in the mid-19th century, and the formation of Czechoslovakia. I haven’t read any other books about Czech history so I can’t criticize which evidence/interpretations Demetz uses. However, he does spend a lot of time criticizing popular clichés and common misconceptions regarding Prague. I’ve definitely heard the one about Magic Prague (have Meyrink’s The Golem on the shelf and there was a Perutz about that) but he spends several paragraphs debunking myths about Jan Hus. For me that was unnecessary (no Hus preconceptions), but I could see how it could be helpful.

I appreciated the fact that Demetz didn’t just focus on the kings and famous revolutionaries, but spend many pages describing the changing Jewish community, the contributions of women, Germans and Italians, and the arts and culture of various ages in Prague. Because of the way the book was structured (subtitle - Scenes in the Life of a European City), there were some gaps when he’d pick up in a new chapter and some of the political background could be rushed. Also, Demetz describes the construction/demolition/reconstruction of many buildings and I think photographs or drawings would have been nice to include (google images were helpful). Most importantly, this book made me want to read more Czech history as well as more narrowly focused books.… (mais)