Originally published in 1925, Plowshares into Swords is an expressionist antiwar novel in which Vladislav Vancura tells the story of the denizens of the Ouhrov estate in language as baroque as the manor that ties them all together. The fragmented narrative introduces the reader to such characters as Baron Danowitz, his sons, his French concubine, the farmhand Frantisek Hora, and the mentally disabled murderer Reka in the autumn of 1913, before revealing their fates during World War I. Ranging from the peaceful farmlands of Bohemia to the battlefields of Galicia, taking in the pubs of Budapest and the hospitals of Krakow, the novel constitutes an unsentimental and naturalistic approach to the war that created Czechoslovakia. Plowshares into Swords is a stunning novel by one of Czech literature's most important writers. This modernist masterpiece, reminiscent of the work of Isaac Babel and William Faulkner, is now available in English for the very first time.

About the Author
Vladislav Vancura (1891-1942) was one of the most important Czech writers of the twentieth century. He was also active as a film director, playwright, and screenwriter. David Short is a translator of numerous books from Czech to English.

Reviews
"It has taken nearly a hundred years for the Czech writer Vladislav Vancura's masterpiece to appear in English. Finally we have it, one of the greatest European First World War novels." * Literary Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9788024648149
Author Vladislav Vancura
Format Hardback
Page Count 170
Imprint Karolinum,Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy,Czech Republic
Publisher Karolinum,Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy,Czech Republic