Discover "perhaps the funniest novel ever written" (The Guardian ), now beautifully reissued
“The classic comic novel of the First World War.” —The New Yorker • “A literary masterpiece.” —New York Review of Books • “One of the greatest works of 20th century literature.” —Boston Globe 
Jaroslav Hasek's The Good Soldier Svejk follows the adventures of Josef Svejk, a boisterous and sometimes bumbling (or brilliantly subversive?) Czech soldier, as he navigates the trials of World War I. Thrust into the Austro-Hungarian Empire's army in 1914, Svejk, "one of the great characters of 20th century literature" (New Republic), embarks on a wild trip through war-ravaged Europe as he fakes illnesses, is captured by his own men, and takes on various quixotic quests to avoid arriving at the front lines, always with a bizarre—and often hilarious—anecdote at the ready. Predating countercultural American classics like Catch-22 by a generation, The Good Soldier Svejk was the first great antiwar satire, and still one of the finest ever written.

The Good Soldier Svejk and His Fortunes in the World War: Translated by Cecil Parrott. With Original Illustrations by Josef Lada.

Literature & Fiction

Hašek, Jaroslav

Humor & Satire

Harper Perennial Modern Classics

Good Soldier Schweik (Modern Classics)

Literary

Penguin Books, Ltd.

Jaroslav Hašek's black satire, the inspiration for such works as Joseph Heller's Catch-22 Good-natured and garrulous, Švejk becomes the Austro-Hungarian army's most loyal Czech soldier when he is called up on the outbreak of the First World War - although his bumbling attempts to get to the front serve only to prevent him from reaching it. Playing cards, getting drunk and becoming a general nuisance, the resourceful Švejk uses all his natural cunning and genial subterfuge to deal with the doctors, police, clergy and officers who chivvy him towards battle. The story of a 'little man' caught in a vast bureaucratic machine, The Good Soldier Švejk combines dazzling wordplay and piercing satire to create a hilariously subversive depiction of the futility of war. Cecil Parrott's vibrant, unabridged and unbowdlerized translation is accompanied by an introduction discussing Hašek's turbulent life as an anarchist, communist and vagranty, and the Everyman character of Švejk. This edition also includes a guide to Czech names, maps and original illustrations by Josef Ladas. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

The Good Soldier Svejk: and His Fortunes in the World War (Penguin Classics)

Dramas & Plays

Penguin Classics

Hasek's most important work was centered around the deeply funny story of a hapless Czech soldier in the Austro-Hungarian army -- dismissed for incompetence only to be pressed into service by the Russians in World War I (where he is captured by his own troops). A mischief-maker, bohemian and drunk, Hasek demonstrated his wit in this classic novel of the Czech character and preposterous nature of war.

Modern Classics Good Soldier Svejk And His Fortunes In The World

Penguin Classic

'Listen, Švejk, are you really God's prize oaf?' 'Humbly report, sir,' Švejk answered solemnly. 'I am!' Drunkard, malingerer, oaf and possible genius - the story of Czech soldier Svejk and his misadventures in the First World War is one of the most hilarious and subversive satires on war ever written. A new series of twenty distinctive, unforgettable Penguin Classics in a beautiful new design and pocket-sized format, with coloured jackets echoing Penguin's original covers.

The Good Soldier Svejk (Pocket Penguins)

Jaroslav Hasek is best known for his satirical masterpiece, "The Good Soldier Svejk". That has been described as 'Perhaps the funniest novel ever written'. Although his life was short and chaotic, Hasek did however write more as this volume tellingly reveals. In his preface, Cecil Parrott, translator and biographer of Hasek, crisply defines its purpose. 'All the world has heard of Svejk, but few are familiar with the countless other characters Hasek created in his stories and sketches, which together with his feuilletons and articles are thought to number some twelve hundred. The best of these deserve to be made available to the Western public and are included in this volume'. The range is wide. There is a selection from his Bugulma stories ("Hasek as Bolshevik" and "Red Commissar"), some early Svejk stories, reminiscences of Hasek's apprenticeship days, and the hilariously funny speeches made by Hasek when promoting his political 'Party of Moderate Progress within the bounds of the Law'.

The Red Commissar: Including Further Adventures of the Good Soldier Svejk and Other Stories

World Literature

Macdonald Co.

The Good Soldier Svejk and His Fortunes in the World War (English and Czech Edition)

Bentley Pub

The Good Soldier Schweik and His Fortunes in the Great War

Signet

Signet Classics

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hašek, Jaroslav. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Hašek, Jaroslav