That Alluring Land: Slovak Stories by Timrava (Pitt Series in Russian and East European Studies, 15)

By Božena Slančíková Timrava

"The work of Timrava, the pen name of Bozena Slancikova (1867- 1951), gives us a peek at Slovak literature and Slovak life of the early century; mostly it's for the latter--the small human portraiture of individual lives swamped by great events--that we read on. The greatest of these events was, naturally, WW I, which Timrava addresses in the novella Great War Heroes, '' a vinegary tale of nationalist enthusiasm--Slovakia against the Russians and Serbs, all three nationalities benighted and manipulated--and of how the self-inflation soon flattens as war's real costs quickly come due.-"-Kirkus Reviews

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0822954737
• ISBN13: 9780822954736
• Release Date: September 1992
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Length: 328 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.0" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

An invaluable contribution

Precious little work has been translated from the Slovak language to English, especially with women writers. American Slovak scholar and translator, Norma Rudinsky, has provided English-speaking readers with a gem of a literary treasure that would still remain unavailable and long forgotten if not for her efforts. In this collection of 6 short stories by Slovak writer Timrava, the pen name of Bozena Slancikova, we get the opportunity to read what life was like in a small village around the turn of the century. Born in Polichno, now part of Slovakia, it was then under the auspices of the Austro-Hungarian empire and under which culture Timrava lived and worked. In these small villages of "Upper Hungary" where Timrava lived, there were predominantly two casts (and castes) of people: the landed/gentry and the peasant/serf class. Despite the fact that Timrava hailed from the former, her stories in this collection primarily center around the peasant class where her sympathies seem to lie. These are highly readable stories: simply written yet with enough complexity of character to intrigue. My favorite story in the book is "No Joy At All, " which seems chock-full of info about the peasants--their cultural and religious customs, the role (and politics) within the tradition of the extended family. The final story, "Great War Heroes," is the only one where the peasant and landed classes interact together on a nearly equal basis (and only towards the end at that). The reason for this? WWI, the "great one." Timrava paints an accurate portrait of the war where the A-H empire joined forces against the Serbs and Russians. Perhaps war, like death, is another great equalizer, for lives are lost in both classes and we see how the war takes a toll on a typical small village in central Europe. In this story we also pick up on tensions and hostilities betweeen the Slovaks and the Hungarians as the politically dominant Hungarians attempt to impose their culture and language upon the Slovaks who strove, as always, to retain their own identity. Whether you enjoy reading love stories or are a serious student of central European culture, you will find this book to be a rare treasure.