Prague In Black And Gold: Scenes From The Life Of A European City (1998) - Plot & Excerpts
A very good history of Prague, especially with focus to the various ethnic groups that composed the population of this great city throughout its history; to understand how Prague evolved in terms of polity and culture, this book is essential, though in places dry. There is no doubt the author—a professor of German literature who was born and grew up in Prague—knows his stuff, but in places it can come across as dry while in other instances, the author does assume the reader already knows a wealth about Czech history. To be fair, Dr. Demetz warns of us this trajectory somewhat: he states his reasoning in writing this encompassing history is to cover the sociocultural nuances of Prague's evolution, which would seem to portend that the reader comes with some grounding in the city's history already. For those who don't have this background, I'd recommend the book A History of the Czech Lands, though be warned: anyone who thinks Demetz's book is stuffy or obtuse will probably be put off even more by the "Czech Lands" book. Together, the two books will provide a wealth of background though in key portions of Czech history. For the Slavic scholar in contrast, Demetz's book will just scratch the surface of Prague's lengthy history but will offer unique insight into the cultural atmosphere that many crucial political events transpired within. In any case, it's overall a well-written, very well-researched volume.
What do You think about Prague In Black And Gold: Scenes From The Life Of A European City (1998)?
