American and Czech Writers across the Iron Curtain

As someone who thoroughly enjoys diving into the pages of a good book, today, I am delving into the intriguing narrative of The Nonconformists: American and Czech Writers across the Iron Curtain penned by Brian K. Goodman. The Cold War era was a tumultuous period in history marked by ideological clashes, political tensions, and the...

Books

August 5, 2023

Klára the Czech-American Trailblazer and Literary Ambassador

Klára Winlow-Vostrovská (aka Claire Winlow-Vostrovsky) was born on October 27, 1871, in West Point, Nebraska, within a thriving Czech community. Her parents, Jaroslav (Jerome) Vostrovský (1836-1901) and Anna Vostrovský (1839-1922) were Czech immigrants. Her father, originally from Selmice or Semin near Kladrub in eastern Bohemia, had migrated to the USA in 1863. During her childhood,...

Books, Women

February 12, 2023

Czech Globetrotters Hanzelka and Zikmund

Zikmund and Hanzelka both had a strong interest in travel and discovery. The Czech travel enthusiasts made the decision to go off on a global expedition. In their plans, they intended to investigate many cultures and document the richness and beauty of the world. Through Asia, Africa, and South America, they completed their adventure that...

Bohemians, History, PEOPLE

September 18, 2022

Architecture: Lutheran Churches in Slovakia

Today I am sharing a few pages from a lovely book I received from Reverend Thomas J. Drobena. Thomas John was born on August 23, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Son of Thomas and Suzanne (Durec) Drobena. His heart and soul are in Moravia. Ordained to ministry Evangelical Lutheran Church in American, 1962. Grantee...

Architecture, Books, ENTERTAINMENT, History

September 15, 2022

Perfect Horse – Lipizzaner Rescue from Hostau

I just finished reading The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis by Elizabeth Letts. Not only was this rescue a humanitarian act involving saving horses with a pedigree and lineage dating back hundreds of years but this rescue was also one bright moment in the war...

Books, LIFESTYLE, Movies

September 13, 2022

The Pop-up Books of Lucy Seifert

Czech pop-up books are famous around the world. The most known creator of these is Vojtěch Kubašta, a world pioneer in pop-up books. Makers of pop-up books still use Kubašta’s structures and the principles he invented and used in his work. Less known is a wonderful illustrator named Lucy Seifert (Lucie Seifertova). You may not...

Books, Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

August 23, 2022

Franci’s War: A Woman’s Story of Survival

Today I am sharing the engrossing memoir of a spirited and glamorous Czech fashion designer who survived World War II. It is entitled, Franci’s War, A Woman’s Story of Survival by Franci Rabinek Epstein. I received this book anonymously as a gift from our TresBohemes Amazon Wishlist where we ask our subscribers to send material...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT, History, Women

August 12, 2022

Warrior of God: Jan Žižka and the Hussite Revolution

I just finished a very interesting book, Warrior of God: Jan Zizka and the Hussite Revolution by Victor Verney with Foreword by David Muhlena. Jan Žižka (1370–1424) belongs to the elite group of leaders who never lost a battle. He was a formidable figure whose life and military career was set amidst the whirlwind of...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT, History

June 29, 2022

Šumava in 1929 – The Enchanted Forest

Do you enjoy going back in time as much as I do? What if I could take you back to Šumava in 1929? You’d stay in the towns, see the Chod people, experience the marketplace, explore the forest, and learn about the mythology and folk tales. The Šumava mountain range stretches across south and west...

Books, Czech Republic, History, NOSTALGIA

June 26, 2022

Czechoslovakia The Land of An Unconquerable Ideal

Today I wanted to share some illustrations by Jessie Mothersole from her book, Czechoslovakia The Land of An Unconquerable Ideal. This work of hers was inspired by a trip she took to the Czech Republic (then called First Czechoslovak Republic) in 1923 for a book she was asked to write by her London publishers. She...

Art and Design, History

June 15, 2022

Book Review – From Prague to Jerusalem

This is an excellent book review of Milan J. Kubic’s book From Prague to Jerusalem. An Uncommon Journey of a Journalist by my friend Miloslav Rechcígl, Jr. BUY ON AMAZON NOW Mila writes: I have always considered memoir publications important sources of history, particularly after I published my memoir, Czechmate. From Bohemian Paradise to American...

Books

August 13, 2021

Travel Back in Time to Prague

Imagine if we could travel back in time to Prague. Would you like to go back 100 years with me? The following is a chapter from a book published in 1912, entitled Around the Clock in Europe: A Travel-Sequence by Charles Fish Howell with illustrations by Harold Field Kellogg. Published in Boston by Houghton Mifflin...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT, Time Warp

February 5, 2021

The Influence of Prague on Rainer Maria Rilke’s Poetry

Rilke is known for his poignant metaphorical poetry and his lyrical prose. Like many great writers before him, Rilke drew inspiration from his surroundings. He was able to draw on his observations of the various places he visited during his life to create poems which remain widely read and loved to this day. In his...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT

November 11, 2020

Czech Stories in English

I am an avid reader and what I love to read more than anything is stories from my birthplace, Czechoslovakia. In today’s post I am sharing some rare books which are in English and allow you to see a Czechoslovakia of days gone past, often through the eyes and experiences of non-Czechs. A Wayfarer in...

Books

November 10, 2020

A Prayer

A Poem on the Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution Dear readers, on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, we are bringing the poem A Prayer by a Czech author living in Australia, Professor Josef Tomáš. With the poem A Prayer, the author expressed his feelings of how he, at the end...

Bohemians, PEOPLE

November 8, 2020

The Day of the Bison Hunt by V. Kubasta

Vojtěch Kubašta (1914-1992) became a star of the highest magnitude when he combined his artistic and architectural talents in the creation of spatial book. Not only did he draw them all, but he was also the author of the solution to the three-dimensional parts. He was actually the Czech top export artist in the previous...

Childrens Books