This is an attempt to follow a character that a
long time ago set root in our thoughts, who
makes as laugh with his antics. It also traces
his contemporaries that lived almost hundred
years ago and witnessed the absurdity of war.
With the tools provided by the modern age
network cartography, I’ve made an attempt to
bring the very popular Hašek book closer to
readers by inviting them to follow Josef Švejk
step by step. Doing it I’ve used all the tips
and suggestions one finds in the book itself and,
whenever possible, any addtional material
available. Howevere, I don’t want the visitor to
consider my pages as some attempt on scientific
studies. Please, take it as a funny pastime and
a simple attempt to entertain admirers of the
book like myself. So be prepared just to leaf
through the funny dusty album recalling life and
days long gone by. But if anyone decided that it
is just another sort of „švejking“ in an
unappropiate and very important time, he is one
hundred percent right, because there is no such
thing as an appropiate unimportant time. Most
probably this unhappy person considered Švejk
himself as being half-brained drunkard, with
only the simple wish to use the moment to get
away with jeering at all possible political,
army and God knows what else rules and
regulations. I’m afraid such a point of view is
a result of not reading the book thoroughly and
properly, if reading it at all. How Švejk
innocent antics in the book could be considered
unacceptable while at the same time, in real
life, universally respectable second lieutenants
Dubs, Bretschneiders and many other Manlicher-idiots
walk around is beyond me. In any case, any truly
attentive reader knows that Švejk got drunk just
once and only to save his commander from trouble.
The foul language wasn't used by him but all,
but by those around him, mostly by his superiors
and other distinguished persons.
Švejk on the other hand executed every wish he
saw in peoples eyes , even if there were six
wishes, he would still comply...
"Thank you, Švejk," said the Senior Lieutenant. "Did she have a lot of those wishes?"
"About six," answered Švejk. "But, now she's sleeping as if she were dead to the world,
as if she'd been killed by the ride. I did everything for her that I saw in her eyes."
***
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ROAD!
It’s
impossible to pinpoint with accuracy where
The Good Soldier Švejk began his adventure.
However, we can safely assume that his
housemaid Mrs Müller made her famous
announcement somewhere in close proximity
of the pub "At the Chalice" (U kalicha),
within a radius of hardly half a mile. No
one would be expected to walk further
than that just for a few beers. Obviously
alternative considerations on the matter are
welcome, but according to
[101] Švejk
lived right next door to the "U Kalicha" pub
on Na Bojišti street, no.12.
The last visit here is when he is already
serving as a "bursch" to field chaplain
Katz:
Sometime during the next few days, Švejk decided to pay a visit to his old cleaning woman. Instead of
Mrs. Müller, Švejk found her female cousin residing in her apartment. She told him, while weeping,
that Mrs. Müller had been arrested the same evening she pushed Švejk in his wheelchair to join
the military.The old woman had been tried by the military courts.Since they couldn't prove anything
against her, they had taken her to the concentration camp in Steinhoff. Her cousin had received a post
card from her.
And leaving his old flat immediately visited
the pub At the Chalice (U kalicha)
So Švejk left the home that
no longer accepted him, declaring:
"I've got some collars and shirt-fronts at
the laundry, Mrs. Kejřová. Pick them up so
that, when I come back from the military, I'll
have something to wear as a civilian. Also,
watch out for moths, so they don't eat into
my clothes in the wardrobe. And give my
greetings to those little ladies who are now
sleeping in my bed."
Švejk decided to check out the Chalice. When
Mrs. Palivcová saw him, she declared that
she wouldn't serve him because he had
probably run away from the army
What looks like another proof that it was
round the corner from his flat.
Here is a short note about the concentration
camp Steinhof and Mrs. Müllerova. The name
of this character was borrowed from Maria
Müllerova who ran a brothel next door to the
U Kalicha pub. This girl was a lover of the
real life servant of premier lieutenant
Lukáš whose name was František Strašlipka ,
a brickmaker from Hostivice. He in turn was
a friend of the real life Josef Palivec, the
junior waiter in U kalicha. This is
according to [101],
and should be verified again.
Regarding the Steinhof concentration camp,
the well known researchers Hodík and Landa
[3],
found no evidence that one with such a name
existed.
It could be that Steinhof was either-
Kamennný dvůr
u Kynšperka or Kameničky u Tachova, but
these can not be found on
today maps
- only on the old land map of
Lučina u Tachova near the place where
the
Lučina water reservoir
is located today.
There are a lot of places named Steinhof in
Austria and Germany. Below is a list of
Austrian
places:
Unfortunately not much known about their
history. According to Hodík and Landa
[3]
it would be possible; that Hašek modified
the name of male concentration camp at
Stein am der Donau/Krems,
or the name of the place itself was a
creation of censure shrewdness.
Everything is possible.
I would be grateful to any advice from
Austrian friends of
Švejk.
