The Last Bell

By Johannes Urzidil and David Burnett

A maid who is unexpectedly left her wealthy employers' worldly possessions, when they flee the country after the Nazi occupation; a loyal bank clerk, who steals a Renaissance portrait of a Spanish noblewoman, and falls into troublesome love with her; a middle-aged travel agent, who is perhaps the least well-travelled man in the city and advises his clients from what he has read in books, anxiously awaits his looming honeymoon; a widowed villager, whose 'magnetic' (or perhaps 'crazy') twelve-year-old daughter witnesses a disturbing event; and a tiny village thrown into civil war by the disappearance of a freshly baked cheesecake - these stories about the tremendous upheaval which results when the ordinary encounters the unexpected are vividly told, with both humour and humanity. This is the first ever English publication of these both literally and metaphorically enchanting Bohemian tales, by one of the great overlooked writers of the twentieth century.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781782272588

Johannes Urzidil

Johannes Urzidil (1896-1970) was a German-Czech writer, poet, historian and journalist. Born in Prague, he was a member of the Prague Circle and a friend of Franz Kafka and Max Brod. He fled to England after the German occupation in 1939, and eventually settled in the United States. Best known in his lifetime for the collections The Lost Beloved and Prague Triptych, he won numerous awards for his writing, and even had an asteroid named after him.

Reviews for The Last Bell

[gbill_7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book represents the best of Pushkin Press: a very enjoyable set of short stories from lesser-known author Johannes Urzidil, whose works had never been translated into English before. Urzidil has such a pleasurable style – direct and light, with elements of humor, but also containing darker observations about humanity and absurdity. There are five stories here, and each is memorable. They include a maid given a fortune from her employers when they flee the Nazis (The Last Bell), a man stealing a painting of a lady from an art gallery on an impulse and having conversations with her (The Duchess of Albanera), a travel agent who knows everything about the cities and countries of the world but has never been anywhere himself (Siegelmann’s Journeys), a girl who has an almost godlike power to communicate with the natural things of the world (Borderland), and a river valley which is bitterly divided by petty arguments between those living on its left and right banks (Where the Valley Ends). The quality level throughout is high, with each being four stars on its own, and ‘Siegelmann’s Journeys’ perhaps a bit higher, and my favorite.I would definitely read more of Urzidil should more of his works be translated, and think this would be a great book to read while traveling in the Czech Republic.Quotes:On finding meaning in life, this from the introduction, quoting his essay ‘Literature as Creative Responsibility’:“One does not escape from despair, helplessness, suicide by demonstrating with greater diligence and accuracy how nauseating, shallow, stale and fruitless all our actions are, but by trying to believe in life by virtue of the absurd.”On individuality, from ‘Borderland’:“In what way does a person die? When his heart stops beating: that’s probably the most familiar way. Or by becoming like everyone else.”On meeting someone, from ‘Siegelmann’s Journeys’:“If a human being wants to live he has to forget himself. Profound encounters take place unexpectedly. And so it is only natural that one day Magda’s gaze would come to rest on Siegelmann and - in spite of her background, her upbringing, her suspiciousness - would linger there. There might be gazes we can control. But there are also ones that command us.”On music, from ‘The Last Bell’:“Music is only good if, first of all, it makes you weep, second, if it makes you die laughing, and third, if it gets your legs and arms, your bosom and rear end moving and whirls you through the room like a maniac.”On nature, from ‘Where the Valley Ends’:“Mother Nature, so the poet taught, ennobles human beings. She hints at what is essential, and all of her endeavors aim to eternalize the ephemeral.”On war and man’s nature, from ‘Where the Valley Ends’:“No war, it seemed to me, had ever really come to an end; at some level it always continued even after it was over. Because a war is quickly divorced from its immediate causes, acquires a life and momentum of its own. It might be possible to refute this philosophically, depending on whether you view peace or war as the primary state; in the history of human activity, peace has always been a desirable aim, but, alas, has never played a leading role.”

[hubblegal-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Johannes Urzidil belonged to the literary circle in Prague that included both Franz Kafka, Franz Werfel and Max Brod. When Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1939, he came to the United States. He was living in the US in the 50’s and 60’s when these short stories were written. He was awarded quite a few literary prizes during his career. The asteroid 70679 Urzidil was named after him. Although his books were published in many other countries, his work has been overlooked here. This is the first publication of The Last Bell in the United States so it’s quite a literary event. The stories are mostly about the outcome of ordinary events when something unexpected happens. “The Last Bell” Marska is a fortunate maid. Her Jewish master and mistress have fled the Nazis and have left all of their belongings and money to her. However, her fortune takes a turn when she invites her sister Joska to live with her and her fortune becomes a hinderance. This tale is the saddest in the book, although it’s written in a light manner and humorous manner. The author’s humor makes the horror of this story all that more real.“The Duchess of Albanera”This is a fantastical story of the theft of a painting and the precarious slip of his sanity as the thief falls in love with the painting.“Siegelmann’s Journey”This is a moralistic tale of a travel agent who has never traveled himself but can spin a complicated web of lies that he gets tangled in.“Borderland”Ottilie is a gifted young girl who finds it difficult to conform to ordinary life. She witnesses an event that plunges her into despair. This magical tale is my favorite in the book.“Where the Valley Ends”A tale of how discord among neighbors over a stolen cheesecake can lead to war. Such a small incident grows completely out of proportion. This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.