We Were a Handful

By Karel Poláček

Book Overview

A favorite work of Czech humor, We Were a Handful depicts the adventures of five boys from a small Czech town through the diary of Petr Bajza, the grocer's son. Written by Karel Pol ček at the height of World War II before his deportation to Auschwitz in 1944, this book draws on the happier years of Pol ček's own childhood as inspiration. As we look upon the world through Petr's eyes, we, too, marvel at the incomprehensible world of grownups; join in fights between gangs of neighborhood kids; and laugh at the charming language of boys, a major source of the book's humor. This translation at last offers English-language readers the opportunity to share in Petr's (and Pol ček's) childhood and reminds us that joy and laughter are possible even in the darkest times.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 8024614499
• ISBN13: 9788024614496
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Karolinum Press, Charles University
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.4" x 7.2"