Božena Němcová Books

The Czech people, like every nation on earth, have their own wealth of fairytales, passed down from generation to generation since time immemorial. Despite the familiarity of the basic themes, Czech fairytales retain their distinctive features, attracting young and old alike. Stories such as "The Princess with the Golden Star on her Forehead" or "Fire Bird and Red Fox" by Božena Němcová and Karel Jaromír Erben offer an insight into the lives of the ordinary people in Bohemia and Moravia, as well as their wishes and dreams, which is not only romantic, but also thrilling. Thus that most magical phrase, which reminds adults of their childhood and brings a twinkle to children's eyes, still casts a spell like no other: "Once upon a time..."

Set at the foot of the Giant mountains- is a grandmother, who embodies the ideal of motherliness with her plain wisdom, goodness and love. The father of the Prosek family living in the country idyll is compelled to spend a large part of the year in the imperial town of Vienna due to his work. Thus, the grandmother is brought home to tend to the children and the property. With this background, the author evolves the most significant work of pros in Czech literature and creates "one of the most beautiful female figures in world literature.

Babicka is a novella written by Czech writer Bozena Nemcova in 1855. It is her most popular work and is regarded as a classic piece of Czech literature. The book describes an idealised account of the author's childhood. The plot weaves together a remembrance of the agrarian rhythm of life with the love stories of several women, which reveal more of the history and customs of that area. The principal action revolves around the love lives of Viktorka, Kristla, and the Countess.

The Czech author Božena Němcová (1820-1862), born in Vienna, paints an entirely unsentimental portrait of the country habits and customs of Bohemia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and depicts the people she encountered during her childhood: teachers, maids, farm workers, millers, foresters, priests, to name but a few. The central character of this story, set in Eastern Bohemia, is a grandmother, full of simple wisdom, goodness and love, who personifies an ideal of maternal care. The Prošek family live in this country idyll but their father’s work means that he is compelled to spend a large part of the year in the imperial city of Vienna. Thus, their grandmother is brought home to look after the children and the property. This is the background against which the author unfolds the most important prose work in Czech literature and creates “one of the best female characters in world literature”.

Traditional Czech folk tales collected and written by Bozena Nemcova and Karel Jaromir Erben. Illustrated by Josef Lada.