Jan Neruda: Figurky, or Idyllic Excerpts from the Notes of a Law Clerk

Few classics of Czech literature have been permanently enshrined in the reading books and textbooks of several generations, and yet this has not deprived them of their popularity among readers. Jan Neruda is one of these exceptions. We cannot say this about his entire extensive oeuvre, but in the case of Malostranské povídky it is certainly true. Who doesn't know the story of how Mr. Vorel smoked a foam pipe, or how a certain old man, nicknamed Hastrman, prides himself on his collection of "gems"? Neruda views the life stories of his characters and figures, set in the original scenery of the Lesser Town in the second half of the 19th century, with understanding and participation, which never slips into cheap sentimentality. Certainly his gentle sense of humour has a lot to do with it. We can also enjoy it in the notes of a law clerk, from which Václav Postránecký will read to us.