''The Questionnaire'' is the second novel of Czech writer and politician Jiří Gruša. When it was originally written in 1974, and a limited number of samizdat copies were distributed. It was formally published in 1978. The English translation followed in 1982. Shortly after its limited release, typed by hand, Gruša was imprisoned on the charge of 'initiating disorder'. Following widespread protest and media attention, Gruša was released after serving two months in prison. It is Gruša's most well-known and most widely translated novel.

Plot summary

Jan Chrysostom Kepka is asked to complete a questionnaire for a job application, required by the faceless bureaucrat Comrade Pavlenda. What follows is an ironic answer: a full and surreal account of Jan's life and times.

References

1978 Czech novels Novels set in the Czech Republic Czech magic realism novels Dystopian novels 1974 novels {{1970s-specf-novel-stub