From: Blunderov (squooker@mweb.co.za)
Date: Tue May 25 2004 - 14:03:55 MDT
rhinoceros
Sent: 25 May 2004 12:21 AM
[rhinoceros] Back in our own dark days here in Greece, I remember a
friend was searched for "subversive books" when he went to do his
military term and was commented when they found "The Good Soldier Sveik"
by Jaroslav Hasek in his stuff. Hasek would have been happy to include
this story of military intelligence in the book, like a
mirror-in-a-mirror.
Hey, they still sell that book!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0848800982
[Blunderov] Schweik is one of my all time favourites.
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/The%20Good%20Soldier%20Schweik
<excerpt>
The Good Soldier Svejk (occasionally, Schweik or Schwejk, and with extended
titles) is a world-famous unfinished novel written by Czech humorist
Jaroslav Hašek in the early 1920s.The original Czech title of the work is
Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka za světové války.
The novel tells a story of the Czech soldier Švejk, a cheerful idiot who
undermines the Austrian army's war effort with his sloppiness and
simple-mindedness, and exploits every possible situation for his own good.
The novel was never finished, because Hašek died in 1923 right in the middle
of his work.
"Švejkovat", "to švejk" has since become a common Czech word. "Švejking" is
the method for surviving "švejkárna", which is a situation or institution of
systemic absurdity requiring the employment of "švejking" for one to survive
and remain untouched by it. </excerpt>
<q>
There was a magnificent legal staff, a mechanism such as is possessed by
every state before its political, economic, and moral collapse.
-Jaroslav Hasek
The Good Soldier: Schweik</q>
[Blunderov] A theme continued magnificently by Joseph Heller in 'Catch 22';
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0684833395/102-6479799-9644133
?v=glance
<q>
Yossarian says, "You're talking about winning the war, and I am talking
about winning the war and keeping alive."
"Exactly," Clevinger snapped smugly. "And which do you think is more
important?"
"To whom?" Yossarian shot back. "It doesn't make a damn bit of difference
who wins the war to someone who's dead."
"I can't think of another attitude that could be depended upon to give
greater comfort to the enemy."
"The enemy," retorted Yossarian with weighted precision, "is anybody who's
going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on."</q>
Best Regards
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