Václava Kofránková
Stručný dějepis Čech (A Brief History of Bohemia) or history with an overview
Stručný dějepis Čech represents Jan Neruda in peak form as a scathing satirist who was well-versed in literature and scholarship. His refreshing ironic survey of Czech life was meant to not only entertain the reader, but also to steer him towards a much needed overview, which serves not only the individual as a source of self-confidence, but also the entire national community. Neruda's approach to this ‘sacrosanct material’ foreshadowed the turn taken by Czech literature and the national movement in the last quarter of the 19th century. Instead of extolling illustrious but long-dead ancestors, Jan Neruda turned to the present and the future, though this does not mean that he overlooked Czech history. Just like his contemporaries he considered history to be one of the foundation stones of national identity. In his view this involved living history, appealing to the present day. Laments over lost freedom and greatness had no great meaning for him. Seen in this light, a lot of this lamented history only served to entertain the writer himself and his like-minded public. Jan Neruda believed that only an active, unsentimental attitude towards their past could serve as a basis for the success of the modern Czech nation.
design by Bedřich Vémola
