''Černí baroni'' (''Black barons'') is a satirical novel written by Miloslav Švandrlík during the period of the

Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...

and published in 1969. Subsequent publication of the book in Czechoslovakia was only made possible after the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

, in 1990. The work takes as its background one of the "technical auxiliary battalions" of the Czechoslovak People's Army. The subtitle ''Válčili jsme za Čepičky'' (We fought for Čepička) is a reference to then-Minister of Defense,

Alexej Čepička General Alexej Čepička (18 August 1910 – 30 September 1990) was a Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak communist politician. He held several ministerial positions in Czechoslovakia after World War II, including Minister of Justice from 1948 to 1950 an ...

. The story was made into a film of the same name in 1992 and a

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

in 2003.

Background

The first part of the book was published in 1969 by Vysočina (Havlíčkův Brod) and consists of seventeen chapters, ending with one of the main characters, Kefalín, desperate to extend his service for another year, getting drunk on cider. Švandrlík continued writing the second part, though due to the post-Prague Spring

normalization Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Science * Normalization process theory, a sociological theory of the implementation of new technologies or innovations * Normalization model, used in ...

, it could not be published in Czechoslovakia. The author went into exile and in 1975, published the second part of the book in Zurich, under the pseudonym Rudolf Kefalín. It was also published in 1988 by Alexander Tomský's publishing house Rozmluvy, in London. At the same time, the work spread via

samizdat Samizdat (, , ) was a form of dissident activity across the Eastern Bloc in which individuals reproduced censored and underground makeshift publications, often by hand, and passed the documents from reader to reader. The practice of manual rep ...

in Czechoslovakia. Both parts, consisting of 29 chapters, were published as a whole in the 1990 edition, after the

Plot

The novel presents a satirical depiction of the

Czechoslovak People's Army The Czechoslovak People's Army (, , ČSLA) was the armed forces of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) and the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1954 until 1989. From 1955 it was a member force of the Warsaw Pact. On 14 March 1990 ...

not long after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The author focuses on the day-to-day joys and sorrows of soldiers in a

technical auxiliary battalion Technical auxiliary battalions (, ) or forced labor military camps () were units of the Czechoslovak People's Army active from 1950 to 1954 in Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Czechoslovakia for the internment and re-education of persons conside ...

, a forced labour military camp for the internment and re-education of persons considered disloyal to the

Communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

. These units were active between 1950 and 1954. The story takes place at

Zelená Hora Castle Zelená Hora (literally "Green Mountain") is a castle in Klášter in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It is located on an eponymous mountains, close to the town of Nepomuk. History The castle was first mentioned in a deed of Ottokar II o ...

, in the town of

Nepomuk Nepomuk (; ) is a town in Plzeň-South District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,600 inhabitants. It is known as the birthplace of Saint John of Nepomuk, who was born here around 1340. Administrative division Nepomuk ...

Associated publications

After the Velvet Revolution of 1989, Švandrlík wrote a number of sequels and spin-off novels to ''Černí baroni'': * ''Říkali mu Terazky aneb šest půllitrů u Jelínků'' * ''Pět sekyr poručíka Hamáčka'' * ''Lásky Černého barona'' * ''Kam to kráčíš, Kefalíne?'' * ''Růžové sny pilného hňupa aneb Poručíme větru, dešti'' * ''Černí baroni po čtyřiceti letech'' * ''Černí baroni těsně před kremací'' * ''Stoletý major Terazky'' * ''Černý baron od Botiče'' * ''Terazky na hrad'' * ''Terazkyho poslední džob'' * ''Terazky v tunelu doktora Moodyho'' * ''Nesmiřitelný Terazky'' * ''Černí baroni útočí na obrazovku''

References

{{Reflist 1969 Czech novels