Encounter in Prague

Jarda Cervenka

Jarda Cervenka's fifth collection of stories ranges from gold panning in the jungles of Colombia to fossil hunting on Corsica and sailing off the Florida Keys. But at the center of the collection is Prague, Cervenka's home town, which he fled in the wake of the Soviet invasion of 1968 — an event recounted in his story "Tanks and Quantum Mechanics in 1968".

What kind of stories are these?

From places well known and civilized, such as Prague, or the Florida Keys, to the outback of the precordillera, deep within the interior of Colombia, Encounter In Prague provides a grand parade of the human condition, powered by the inner workings of Cervekna’s active imagination.

Of the fifteen stories in Encounter In Prague here are the three I like best, in order of their appearance:

“Danny’s Long Night” reinforces one of the themes in the collection . . . the personal quest, played out in the conflict between man and nature.

“The Cell Phone Incident” embarks on another theme . . . the cultural scene in Prague, revealed by the sometimes internecine temperament of Postcommunist Czech Literature. And, at its conclusion, this story also completes a certain sort of möbius strip!

“Fish and Snuff Chewing Venus” depicts a transient relationship between two people brought together through a forthright personality, and a generous act.

- Lee Henschel Jr.

ISBN 978-0-98293357-2 $14 US Includes free shipping!


		Born and raised in Prague, Jarda Cervenka was a Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of Minnesota for 35 years. He has traveled extensively and lived in Japan, Nigeria and Kenya. Now retired, he and his wife Sasha divide their time between Prague, the Florida Keys, and their home in Minneapolis. Encounter in Prague is his fifth story collection.
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