''Marketa Lazarová'' is a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

novel, written by Vladislav Vančura. It was first published in 1931. The novel was adapted into the acclaimed 1967 film '' Marketa Lazarová''.

Characters

* Kozlík – Cruel robber baron * Lazar – Robber baron, enemy of Kozlík * Mikoláš – Kozlík's son, who kidnaps Markéta * Markéta – Lazar's daughter * Christian – Son of the lord from Saxony, who's kidnapped by Kozlík's clan * Alexandra – Kozlík's daughter, who falls in love with Christian * Beer – Hetman of the Royal army

Reception

The book was well-received by critics. It was awarded Czechoslovak State Award for Literature in 1931.

Roman Jakobson Roman Osipovich Jakobson (, ; 18 July 1982) was a Russian linguist and literary theorist. A pioneer of structural linguistics, Jakobson was one of the most celebrated and influential linguists of the twentieth century. With Nikolai Trubetzk ...

wrote in his review "The novel's style, somewhat romantically tinted, again and again surprises with amazing simplicity, density and liveliness." Some critics, like Václav Renč, thought that parts where Vančura broke the

Fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...

were intrusive. Others, like A. M. Píša, praised these elements.

Milan Kundera Milan Kundera ( ; ; 1 April 1929 – 11 July 2023) was a Czech and French novelist. Kundera went into exile in France in 1975, acquiring citizenship in 1981. His Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked in 1979, but he was granted Czech citizenship ...

wrote about the novel: "In a certain sense the novel is a milestone in Vančura's evolution. Just as scattered rays converge in a single golden strand in the lens of a magnifying glass, in Marketa Lazarová Vančura's creative endeavors converge in a single, undivided stream."

Adaptations

The movie adaptation '' Marketa Lazarová'' was released in 1967. The film was directed by

František Vláčil František Vláčil (19 February 1924 – 27 January 1999) was a Czech film director, painter, and graphic artist. From 1945 to 1950, he studied aesthetics and art history at Masaryk University in Brno. Later, he worked in various groups an ...

. Several stage adaptation were produced in Czech theatres starting in 1976. From 2002 to 2004 a version directed by Jan Antonín Pitínský with music by Vladimír Franz ran in National Theatre in Prague.

English translations

References

External links

* 1931 Czech novels Modernist novels Historical novels Novels set in the Middle Ages {{CzechRepublic-stub