{"product_id":"the-czech-reader-history-culture-politics-the-world-readers","title":"The Czech Reader: History  Culture  Politics (The World Readers)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Czech Reader brings together more than 150 primary texts and illustrations to convey the dramatic history of the Czechs  from the emergence of the Czech state in the tenth century  through the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 and the Czech Republic in 1993  into the twenty-first century. The Czechs have preserved their language  traditions  and customs  despite their incorporation into the Holy Roman Empire  the Habsburg Empire  the Austro-Hungarian Empire  the Third Reich  and the Eastern Bloc. Organized chronologically  the selections in The Czech Reader include the letter to the Czech people written by the religious reformer and national hero Jan Hus in 1415  and Charter 77  the fundamental document of an influential anticommunist initiative launched in 1977 in reaction to the arrest of the Plastic People of the Universe  an underground rock band. There is a speech given in 1941 by Reinhard Heydrich  a senior Nazi official and Deputy Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia  as well as one written by Vclav Havel in 1984 for an occasion abroad  but read by the Czech-born British dramatist Tom Stoppard  since Havel  the dissident playwright and future national leader  was not allowed to leave Czechoslovakia. Among the songs  poems  folklore  fiction  plays  paintings  and photographs of monuments and architectural landmarks are Let Us Rejoice  the most famous chorus from Bedich Smetanas comic opera The Bartered Bride; a letter the composer Antonn Dvok sent from New York  where he directed the National Conservatory of Music in the 1890s; a story by Franz Kafka; and an excerpt from Milan Kunderas The Joke. Intended for travelers  students  and scholars alike  The Czech Reader is a rich introduction to the turbulent history and resilient culture of the Czech people.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44986276380725,"sku":"ByrdShop_0822347946","price":32.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780822347941.jpg?v=1770894135","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-czech-reader-history-culture-politics-the-world-readers","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}