Ladislav Klíma Book order

This book, published by Twisted Spoon Press in Prague, showcases a notable ghost story by Ladislav Klíma. It centers on Matthias Lebermayer, a corpulent shopkeeper who finds himself in a surreal state of existence—either dead, dreaming, or caught in a blend of both. As he navigates these blurred realities, he is haunted by a mysterious man in a shabby suit, who utters the cryptic phrase: "Five fields I have passed." This phrase evokes a sense of dread and leads to disorienting shifts in time and space. Lebermayer grapples with the meaning of these words while his life intertwines with another. The narrative resonates with echoes of Poe and Plato's Myth of Er, delivered with Klíma's characteristic blend of horror, wit, and humor. Originally, only the first part of this novella was published in a magazine in 1920, accompanied by a brief coda. This format persisted in Czech editions for 70 years, despite Klíma's completion of a second part and notes for continuation, which remained unpublished. This translation brings together all existing material, complemented by exclusive illustrations from Pavel Růt for this limited edition.

The testament of a man who stole and, in the depths of post-nature, rubbished the ashes of the practical philosopher Ladislav Klíma. BOOK – ARABLE LAND – BUSINESS, BETWEEN PIOUSNESS AND BLASPHEMY THERE LIES AWKWARDNESS, BETWEEN MODŘANY AND KOMOŘANY THERE LIES POST-NATURE, BETWEEN ART BETWEEN, 100 years after Cholupice Day, 5 years after the dusting of the philosopher, with the setting of the sun at the site of said dusting, we will commence trafficking in testimony of said dusting, including a last will and testament containing a moral.

This book, published by Twisted Spoon Press in Prague, presents the unique writings of a Czech author whose intense inner life and complex mental state are vividly expressed through eccentric style and volatile prose. The novella explores deep conflicts in thought processes, particularly in "Glorious Nemesis." Set in the Tyrol, it unfolds as a balladic ghost story that delves into the metaphysics of love, death, crime, and reincarnation. The protagonist, Sider, a twenty-eight-year-old man, is faced with the imposing Stag's Head mountain and an ancient hovel beneath a dark cliff. During a hike, he meets two women who alter his destiny: the elder Errata in red and the younger Orea in blue, colors symbolizing the Virgin Mary. Sider embarks on a quest for the All and the Absolute, striving for eternity by atoning for his past life’s misdeeds. He risks his fortune and sanity, drawn into dreams and hallucinations where Orea, or her doppelgänger, embodies the goddess Nemesis, guiding him through the mysteries of divine retribution. Last revised by the author in 1926 and published posthumously in 1932, this is the first English translation, featuring illustrations by renowned Czech designer Pavel Rut, who created a samizdat edition during the 1980s when the Communist regime banned the author's work. In the 1970s, the novella was also set to music by The Plastic People of the Universe.

Tato kniha byla vydána českým nakladatelstvím Twisted Spoon Press, které sídlí v Praze a vydává díla českých a slovanských autorů v anglickém jazyce. Oficiální anotace nakladatele: Philosopher, novelist, essayist, eccentric, no other Czech author has had a greater impact on underground culture than Ladislav Klíma (1878–1928). Mentor to artists as varied as Bohumil Hrabal and the Plastic People of the Universe, Klíma’s philosophy was radically subjectivist, and he felt it should be lived rather than merely spoken or written about. With Nietzsche as his paragon, he embarked upon a lifelong pursuit to become God, or Absolute Will, elucidating this quest in many letters, aphorisms, and essays. Yet among Klíma's fictional texts, the apotheosis of his philosophy is The Sufferings of Prince Sternenhoch, his most acclaimed novel. Ostensibly a series of journal entries, the tale chronicles the descent into madness of Prince Sternenhoch, the German Empire’s foremost aristocrat and favorite of Kaiser “Willy.” Having become the “lowliest worm” at the hands of his estranged wife, Helga, the Queen of Hells, Sternenhoch eventually attains an ultimate state of bliss and salvation through the most grotesque perversions. Klíma explores here the paradoxical nature of pure spirituality with a humor that is as darkly comical as it is obscene. This volume also includes his notorious text “My Autobiography.” Afterword by Josef Zumr.