History books give 8 May 1945 as the date when World War II officially ended in Europe. Few people know that it lasted a few days longer. Peace celebrations were already well under way, but guns rattled on the demarcation line between the American and Russian army positions as late as 12 May 1945. The…

Augustin Zimmermann, the main protagonist of this novel which takes place in the late 19th century Prague, represents an almost archetypal model of an unhappy person. While the world around him is productive and prosperous during the Industrial Revolution, his family is struggling with an existential crisis exacerbated by his alcoholism and hopeless attempts to…