Writing a book in one single sentence may be considered a bit gimmicky by some, and certainly it takes an author of some skill to pull of such a feat effectively, even if the book itself if not particularly long, as the text still needs to flow, needs a rhythm in order to make it work, and most certainly needs a strong narrator in order to keep it interesting and draw the reader in, so kudos to Bohumil Hrabal for his tale of Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age, which manages to pull off this feat with good grace, and while I am tempted to lapse into immitation, a sincere form of flattery apparently, I think I've taken this cheap gag just about as far as it can go right now
An unexpected little bonus, which I devoured in one sitting after being intrigued by the cover and then handed it by my housemate to see what I made of it. One of the premier Czech writers of the 20th century, I can perhaps only claim ignorance in having never heard of him, but as she was (ahem) checking him out before a trip to Prague in a couple of weeks, I was intrigued enough to have a read.
I'm not sure I could tell you exactly what happened, but the narration and the descriptions brought to life an array of interesting characters. My take on it is our less than wholly sober narrator, probably a middle-aged or older man, is looking back and telling stories of his youth to a gaggle of younger beauties in a pub somewhere. The pace of the story, the repeated themes of lust and adventure, the memorable folk who crop up in it (the man with a beard so long he has to tuck it into his trousers was a particular favourite) all add up to a really interesting work. It would appear our narrator would have you believe he lived a full life, hobnobbing with the elite and the underclass and engaging in all kinds of hi jinks and sexual shenanigans. I think it needed to be taken in quickly, and its shortness made this possible, but this rich seam of life in Prague could be mined again and would no doubt share new delights upon revisiting it.
Book number: 17
Title: Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age
Author: Bohumil Hrabal
Category: Books by authors I've never heard of
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