As a class we have been working on reading, understanding and adapting the novel
The Cowards, by Josef Skvorecky since the summer.
Why The Cowards?
It is a fictional accounting, through the eyes of an adolescent, of the end of WWII.
It helps us understand what happened before 1968,
and the life of Skvorecky helps us understand the life of a dissident writer who remained committed to publishing works by his fellow countrymen.
We present here a summary of the novel,
a biography of Skvorecky produced by Lise Sevin and a
chapter by chapter adaptation of the novel.
Enjoy!
Summary:
The
Cowards (originally Zbabělci) is a Czech novel by
Josef Škvorecký. Written in 1948–49 but not published until 1958,
it is a story from the very end of WWII in Europe. Narrated in the
first person by a Czech at the end of his teens, Danny Smiřický, it
takes place in the week 4–11 May 1945 in his home town, a fictional
town called Kostelec in northeast Bohemia, close to the frontier with
then-German Middle Silesia (now part of Poland).
Škvorecký
modelled Kostelec on his own home town of Nachod, and Danny
Smiřický is a semi aurobiographical character based on the author.
Like Náchod, Kostelec is a border town on a river and overlooked by
a castle. Like Škvorecký, Smiřický is the educated, middle-class
son of a bank clerk, loves jazz music and has spent two years as a
forced laborer in a Messerschmitt aircraft factory. For Danny, jazz is a way of mocking the bourgeoisie
and is an attempt to express his spontaneous feelings. He belongs to
a jazz band that plays in a local café and tries to impress the
local girls. But everyone knows that Danny's love for the beautiful
Irena is unrequited, and instead she loves Zdenek (her boyfriend) who shares her
enthusiasm for mountaineering. Danny's moods fluctuate between exultation and
despair as he feels raised up by his hopes and dreams and then dashed
by the realities and disappointments of life. This account of the
life of a romantic youth is highlighted by the events swirling around
him during the last days of World War II, when bombing raids,
battles, and sudden death became part of everyday life.
The novel opens with Kostelec still under German
occupation, and ends a week later after the Red Army has liberated
the town. The town's German garrison plans to retreat west in the
hope of surrendering to the US Army rather than the Soviets.
Kostelec's Czech civic authorities, who had cooperated (and in some
cases possibly collaborated) with the German authorities, want to
keep the town calm and avoid bloodshed. They fear that local
Czechoslovak Communist (KSČ) partisans are planning a revolution not
only against the retreating Germans but also to prevent restoration
of the prewar capitalist order. The local elite thus organize
"revolutionary troops" to disarm Czech population and keep
the young men under control. Groups of disarmed youngsters are sent
to patrol and to prevent the communist resistance from raiding the
German ammunition train. Danny and his friends have lost the
illusions and deserted.
In the following days the liberated prisoners of war and prisoners
from concentration camps are streaming through the town. Danny helps
them to find the food and shelter and he finally feels useful.
On 9 May, troops of the Waffen-SS refuse to respect the
Unconditional Surrender. Their tank and infantry units are fighting a
rearguard action against a Soviet forces and are approaching the
town. The communist resistance takes over the command of
"revolutionary troops" gives them guns and sends them
against Germans. In the ensuing fight Danny kills one SS-man and
incapacitates one German tank but he reports false name to the Soviet
commander as he doesn't want to be misused by propaganda as a
"hero".
Biography of Josef Skvorecky by Lise Sevin
Chapter one - Friday May 4th, 1945
by Ambre Jobard, Noémi Delaporte and Mado Carniello
Chapter two - Saturday May 5th, 1945
click on the link to view:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OhaZjCF4DWtWkFCixE6OY9JHYIES0NAi/view?usp=sharing
Arthur Roulier, Diana Oidsdu and Manon Escalant
Chapter three - Sunday May 6th, 1945
click on the link to view:
Alix Demouveaux, Jade Blanc and Maëva Doisneau
Chapter four - Monday May 7th, 1945
Emma D'Hoine and Elisa Lenain Vieira
Chapter five - Tuesday May 8th, 1945
click on the link to view:
Anaelle Voorneveld, Agathe Lavigne and Ambre Boyer
Chapter six - Wednesday May 9th, 1945
Zoé Frammery, Pauline Cuirot and Cathy Dransard
Chapter seven - Thursday May 10th, 1945
Marie Chaverot, Cassandra Lambert and Lola Thébault
Chapter eight - Friday May 11th, 1945
click on the link to view:
Alice Chive, Lucie Cheneau and Luce Valade
