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A review by illgiveyouahint
Válka s Mloky by Karel Čapek
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Okay i went into this not remembering anything from school about it. I just knew Čapek is one of the best if not the best author in my country and yet I've only ever read one theatre play from him. I also knew he was a big humanist.
So when the book started with a racist captain i was a bit confused. Is this the big a brilliant author who's considered to be such a humanist? That is of course until i realised the entire book is a satire of human race and all it's lowest instincts. And then i truly saw the absolute briliance of it all.
Čapek died on the cusp of the Nazi occupation of my country. He never experienced wwii. But he knew where this all leads. And in a way he saw the future. Because he saw that humans are truly unteachable and continue to make the same mistakes. In this book he managed to tackle colonialism, racism, labor exploitation, capitalism, sexism, religious fanatism and something we in czechia call "čecháčství". And he did ot in 1935.
I have to say i went into this with no expectations and i was blown away by the end.
Even the last chapter where the author suddenly talks to himself about the inevitability of it all just pefectly captures everything the author wanted to say about human race.
So when the book started with a racist captain i was a bit confused. Is this the big a brilliant author who's considered to be such a humanist? That is of course until i realised the entire book is a satire of human race and all it's lowest instincts. And then i truly saw the absolute briliance of it all.
Čapek died on the cusp of the Nazi occupation of my country. He never experienced wwii. But he knew where this all leads. And in a way he saw the future. Because he saw that humans are truly unteachable and continue to make the same mistakes. In this book he managed to tackle colonialism, racism, labor exploitation, capitalism, sexism, religious fanatism and something we in czechia call "čecháčství". And he did ot in 1935.
I have to say i went into this with no expectations and i was blown away by the end.
Even the last chapter where the author suddenly talks to himself about the inevitability of it all just pefectly captures everything the author wanted to say about human race.