Prague A Cultural History Author:Richard Burton Located at the very center of Europe, Prague has been on the frontline of international political, intellectual, religious, and cultural conflicts for more than six centuries. Invaded and occupied by the Hapsburgs, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Nazis, and then Communist Russia, the city's identify is shaped by a long experience of foreign dom... more »ination and a strong sense of Martydom.
A treasure-house of Gothic, Baroque, and Modernistic architecture, Prague is also a city of icons and symbols. This is Kafka's nighmare city and produced two of 20th century's emblematic writers. Richard Burton's interpetation of the city's cultural past and present encompasses opera and rock music, puppetry and cinema, Surrealism and Socialist Realism. Read about Kafka, Hasek, Kundera; the Prague Spring of 1968 and Velvet Revolution of 1989; the city of magic, murder and myth. Includes Maps and Illustrations.« less