Hašek, Jaroslav

Hašek, Jaroslav yäˈrōsläf häˈshĕk [key], 1883–1923, Czech writer, b. Prague. His experiences as a soldier in World War I inspired his famous novel The Good Soldier Schweik (4 vol., 1920–23; tr. 1930), a satire on the Austrian military bureaucracy and on war in general. The ludicrous adventures of the goodhearted Schweik make the business of war an absurdity. The novel won Hašek international fame and was adapted for stage and film. Brecht wrote a sequel to the book in 1944. Hašek also wrote many volumes of short stories.

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