As one of the few internationally appreciated modern Czech authors, Josef Skvorecky has a special position in the cultural context of his native country. From his earliest literary attempts he has been writing about the Czech national traumas of the twentieth century, but he has done so in a way that does not adhere to the prevailing and recommended traditions of Czech literature. Skvorecky's love for jazz and for the classics of modern American literature makes his work different from the bulk of Czech literature in the period between the National Revival in the nineteenth century and World War II, because local cultural trends were inspired mostly by either Russian or French traditions in order to separate the newly revived Czech culture from the "fatal" German influence, which cannot be avoided in Central Europe.

Skvorecky's ability to enjoy writing fiction about the most serious problems of his time...