“The Good Soldier Svejk” and the idiocy of war
Jaroslav Hasek’s satire makes a mockery of bellicose authority
IT IS WITH pride that Josef Svejk declares to his superior officer: “I dutifully report, Colonel Sir, that I am an idiot.” He has already been kicked out of the Austro-Hungarian army once for being an imbecile. Since then he has scraped a living in Prague selling stolen dogs. On hearing of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Svejk initially confuses the archduke with another Ferdinand who cleans dog mess off the streets. The war that follows sees Svejk called up to serve the empire again.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “The idiocy of war”
Culture May 7th 2022
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