''Saturnin'' is a

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

humorous

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

by Zdeněk Jirotka, with characters such as the dangerous servant Saturnin, the annoying Aunt Kateřina and her son Milouš, Uncle František, Doctor Vlach, and the narrator's grandfather. The book is probably the best work of Zdeněk Jirotka. This novel is strongly inspired by work of English authors, esp.

Jerome K. Jerome Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859 – 14 June 1927) was an English writer and humourist, best known for the comic travelogue ''Three Men in a Boat'' (1889). Other works include the essay collections '' Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow'' (1886) an ...

and by novels and

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

by English writer

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeev ...

which features the character of the servant

Jeeves Jeeves (born Reginald Jeeves, nicknamed Reggie) is a fictional character in a series of comedic short stories and novels by English author P. G. Wodehouse. Jeeves is the highly competent valet of a wealthy and idle young Londoner named Bertie W ...

. It has been translated into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

, Serbo-Croatian, Estonian, Latvian, Turkish and Polish. Foreign-language versions are issued by Charles University's publisher Karolinum.

Film, television, and theatrical adaptations

The basic storyline of this novel has been filmed as ''

Saturnin Saint Saturnin of Toulouse ( la, Saturninus, oc, Sarnin, french: Saturnin, Sernin, ca, Serni, Sadurní, gl, Sadurninho and pt, Saturnino, Sadurninho, eu, Satordi, Saturdi, Zernin, and es, Saturnino, Serenín, Cernín) was one of the ''" ...

'', which was then split into a 4-part series and broadcast on

Czech television Czech Television ( cs, Česká televize, italics=no ; abbreviation: ČT) is a public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting seven channels. Established after the Velvet Revolution in 1992, it is the successor to Czechoslov ...

. The servant Saturnin was played by Oldřich Vízner. In 2017,

Miroslav Macek Miroslav Macek (born 7 December 1944 in Litomyšl, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia) is a politician, writer and former deputy prime minister of Czechoslovakia. In May 2006 Macek made international news when, coming from behind, he struck the ...

wrote a sequel to ''Saturnin'', called ''Saturnin se vrací'' (''Saturnin Returns'').

Characters

* Saturnin - a servant with a bold sense of humor * Narrator - in the book without name, in the film the Narrator is called Jiří Oulický * Aunt Kateřina - she is a negative figure in novel, she uses proverbs too often * Grandpa - an old rich man * Miss Barbora Terebová - a sweet modern woman * Doctor Vlach - a man with a rather harsh sense of humor * Milouš - a boorish wastrel * Uncle František - he is already dead at the time of the storyline

Analysis

*Sehnalová, Kamila. 2013. ''Comparative Analysis of Czech, English and German

Proverb A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phra ...

s in Jirotka's Saturnin.'' BA thesis, Charles University, Prague
Link to thesis

References

External links in Czech

Gallery and basics about the movie

Quotes and records from the movie
1942 novels Czech novels adapted into films {{1940s-comedy-novel-stub