Franz Kafka represents the pinnacle of precise and magnetic writing: his texts know no boundaries; symbolic, because he has unfinished or non-literary works, such as the pages of his letters and diaries; and also in relation to his personality, which appears again and again and surprises the reader through testimonies, studies or discoveries from new research.
Because he is constantly in the editorial news and because of the cliché that he was the paradigmatic writer of the 20th century because of his visionary character – which extends into the 21st century, which is even more Kafkaesque because of its bureaucracies, abuses of power, etc. absurdities – A visit to Prague means getting to know Kafka on site in a vivid way. In fact, the Franz Kafka Museum will be a marvel for its admirers, where you can explore his life, learn more about his socio-historical context, see in detail what Prague looked like in his time, and see first editions of his works as well as countless documents . , photos and audiovisual material. All this in a darkened exhibition conceived with exquisite taste.
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About a 10-minute walk from the museum is the impressive Prague Castle (in the Hradcany district, on the left bank of the Vltava), inside which are palaces, churches, the cathedral… and, as far as we are concerned now, the Zlatá ulička (the Golden Lane). Kafka lived in one of the houses on this small street with low ceilings and very modest construction – its current appearance is due to a renovation in 1955 – at number 22 in 1916 and 1917.
It is precisely tram 22 that takes visitors to this entire area of the Czech capital, and in this sense it is very practical to purchase the transport card offered by the Prague Tourist Office – at a very worthwhile saving. This allows you to use public transport for 48, 72 or 120 hours and get directly to more than 60 attractions in the city and opt for services such as guided tours or boat trips (the visitor can activate these through the Prague Visitor). application pass).
Tram 22 is a homage to the house number where Franz Kafka lived in Prague. Dalibor Kotek (Alamy / CORDON PRESS)
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Well, the said area borders the neighborhood to which Jan Neruda dedicated a book of stories, the writer to whom the city dedicated a street in 1895, Nerudova, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in the city. Four years had passed after his death and the intention was to remember the place where he lived as a child, in the so-called House Los Dos Soles, on the facade of which a sculpture commemorates him; The fact is that the author used the 1,000 stories and rumors he heard in his father’s grocery store to write the 1877 volume “Stories from the Lesser Town.”
Spanish-Czech fusion
In this district, the most picturesque in Prague, you could well stop to recharge your batteries and go to a bar run, oddly enough, by Radek Neruda and his wife Norma Lam de Neruda, he, a Czech, and she, a Guatemalan, both charming and likeable with a more than interesting personal story behind them. In its cozy restaurant El Centro (Maltézské 293/9, Malá Strana, 118 00), founded in 1999 as the first restaurant serving Spanish and Central American cuisine in Prague, travelers can enjoy delicious tapas, paellas and Spanish-American specialties. , in addition to a very careful selection of Spanish wines.
The Head of Franz Kafka, also called the Kafka Statue, is a sculpture by David Cerny on the streets of Prague. Marc Bruxelle (Alamy / CORDON PRESS)
This Czech-Hispanic fusion is worth highlighting because it also has its literary reflection. We are referring to institutions such as the České literární centrum (or Czech Literature Center, in English), where Kateřina Chromková promotes the dissemination of Czech writers, especially in Spain. And also the Cervantes Institute of Prague, which is located in a beautiful, imposing building and where its director, the writer Gonzalo Manglano, carries out countless activities that combine local literature with that written in Spanish.
In addition, the city represents a literary stronghold full of events in this regard, with offers of writing or translation grants from the Czech Literature Center or initiatives such as “Encounters with Literature” at Cervantes; A program consisting of colloquia, conferences, poetry lectures and dramatized readings is being developed here with the aim of bringing Hispanic literature and its authors closer to the Czech public and the publishing world. Such concern for the literary world is no coincidence in a country where radio stories are enormously popular, which could indicate an ancient practice, but is of great importance in the Czech Republic given the percentage of the population that enjoys listening to literature is .
What would be the Kafka honored at the corner of Dusní and Vezenská streets by a monument inaugurated in 2003 by the sculptor Jaroslav Róna in the space between the Spanish Synagogue and the Church of the Holy Spirit, in the heart of antiquity? Jewish city. Or let’s think of another: Jaroslav, Hašek, the author of “The Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk” (1920-1923), famous for his bohemian, alcoholic and hooligan personality. This editor of anarchist magazines and founder of a cartoonish political party, who took part in the First World War as an Austrian soldier and as a legionnaire in the Russian army, is remembered by his fictional character in several places in Prague. Schwejk, which takes on a vivid form in the book thanks to the brilliant illustrations by the artist Josef Landa, appears as a depiction of various cafés.
The most literary Prague. Jalcalara illustration. JALCALARA
For example, some of these drawings serve as decoration for the U Brejsku cafe, where Hašek himself went, as well as Kafka, whose face, by the way, can be admired thanks to an 11-meter-high sculpture on the edge of the shopping center. Quadrio. Erected in 2014, the bust of David Černý is made of 24 tons of stainless steel sheet and is divided into 42 movable sections that rotate independently of each other, creating a surprising facial effect.
In short, both Hašek and Kafka knew literary cafes like the Louvre, which has retained the beauty and charm of its creation in 1902. Inside, various images and information remind us that Kafka was there and also the writer Karel Čapek, known for coining the term robot in one of his science fiction pieces, as well as Albert Einstein. It is a highly recommended place to taste Czech cuisine, the most representative dish of which is roast pork with pasta.
Also with a great literary background is the very elegant Slavia Café, which has been open since 1884; On its walls it displays a large number of photographs of great writers and pays particular tribute to the country’s former president, the playwright Vaclav Havel. This was key to saving the facility from closure during a critical time of transition, in the 1990s, after the fall of the Berlin Wall. And in U zlatého tygra (The Golden Tiger) Bohumil Hrabal spent whole days; This tavern, located in a 14th-century building, preserves its Gothic portal, over which the aforementioned cat has been lurking since 1702, and inside has a large painting and a bust dedicated to the narrator; However, it’s so busy here that it’s more than difficult to sit down.
Cracking Art Yellow Penguin art installation along the Vltava River in Kampa Museum, Prague, Czech Republic. Jim Monk (Alamy / CORDON PRESS)
All this literary geography could be complemented by museums: the Prague National Gallery, the DOX Contemporary Art Center, the Kampa Museum or the Prague Art Hall. There is also the youngest literary museum. In any case, in one part or another there is the long, infinite shadow of Kafka: from his last breath, in the huge cemetery where he is buried, Olšanské hřbitovy, to the house where he was born (in náměstí Franze Kafky 24). ), near Staroměstské náměstí square.
Here is the famous 15th-century astronomical clock – ubiquitous in souvenir shops – whose 12 animated apostles move on the hour; An enormous crowd of tourists always gathers in front of it, looking through four allegorical figures that flank the clock to depict vanity, greed, death and lust, a large part of our human existence.
Toni Montesinos He is the author of Eyes Full of Joy. Being Alive with RW Emerson (Ariel, 2023).
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