Dansite Reading Journal

Excellent. The afterword is worth a read to get a sense of the difficulty they had getting the book published in early 1970s Russia.

Put in your teeth and let's go—p. 72
the Butcher cursed—p. 74
You're scum. ... A vulture —p. 74
asshole—p. 76
I'm dying of hunger! —p. 77
The Monkey was dozing peacefully—p. 77
he was dirty as hell—p. 78
To hell with this! —p. 82
beeped at some African—p. 85 ...

I remember that upon receipt of this amazing document, I rushed straight to my bookshelves and joyously brought forth our beloved and unsurpassed Jaroslav Hasek. With what unutterable delight did I read:

Life is no finishing school for young ladies. Everyone speaks the way he is made. The protocol chief, Dr. Guth, speaks differently from Palivec, the landlord of The Chalice, and this novel is neither a handbook of drawing-room refinement nor a teaching manual of expressions to be used in polite society. ...

It was once said, and very rightly, that a man who is well brought-up may read anything. The only people who boggle at what is perfectly natural are those who are the worst swine and the finest experts in filth. In their utterly contemptible pseudo-morality they ignore the contents and madly attack individual words.

Years ago I read a criticism of a novelette, in which the critic was furious because the author had written: "He blew his nose and wiped it." He said that it went against every-thing beautiful and exalted which literature should give the nation.

This is only a small illustration of what bloody fools are born under the sun.