exposing the stupidity and pomposity of his superiors, the officers and bureaucrats of the Hapsburg empire. For Czechs living under communist rule, Hasek's work has served as a popular antidote to gloom.
Hasek (1883-1923) was an unpredictable rebel-a folk hero in disguise. A descendant of Slavic peasants, he was born in Prague, a city dominated an officious German minority. His early adult years were devoted to anarchism, drink, and the writing of satire. Drafted into the Austro-Hungarian Army...