Magic Prague

As the book opens, Kafka and Hasek are still stalking the streets of the Old Town, chatting with their characters Josef K. and Josef Svejk. And on we go, through Prague's bordellos, theatres, alchemists' laboratories, cafes, and ghetto, with everyone from Rudolf II to Apollinaire and the Czech dadaists for company. The result of this imaginary guided tour is a deeper knowledge of the city than any conventional guidebook might provide and an introduction to Czech culture as intellectually rigorous as it is exhilarating.