Along with Milan Kundera, Bohumil Hrabal is generally considered one of the most popular Modern Czech prose writers of the post-war period. But, unlike the more ethereal and Francophilic Kundera, Hrabal stylizes himself as the beer-drinking philosopher, the working-man's writer who, like his beloved and intemperate predecessor Jaroslav HaĊĦek, sat for hours in Prague pubs ensconced behind golden glasses of Pilsner beer collecting anecdotes from his companions, which he reworked and stylized for his prolific output of stories and novels. One of his characters exclaims:
Waiter, what beauty you have given us in this pint of beer! What splendid foam! This isn't foam, it's whipped cream. It's not whipped cream, it's chilled pudding. It's not pudding, it's the winning goal! Waiter, this pub
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Citation: Cravens, Craig. "Bohumil Hrabal". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 December 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12061, accessed 23 November 2024.]
