A Gothic Soul

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A Gothic Soul is a highly regarded example of Czech Decadent prose, reflecting the unique concerns of the Czech movement while creatively referencing Joris-Karl Huysman's Against Nature. Set in Prague, depicted as a dead city inhabited by shades, it follows a nihilistic protagonist, the last scion of a noble line, who embodies the city's faded medieval glory. Living in a dreamlike state, he navigates the labyrinth of his soul, experiencing visions and grappling with existential questions about faith, the vanity of life, social alienation, and human identity in relation to a nation. The narrative critiques the plight of the Czechs under Habsburg rule and highlights Prague's loss of soul amid modernity, as old neighborhoods, including the dilapidated Jewish Quarter, are replaced by new developments. Haunted by a family history of madness, the protagonist retreats into seclusion, embracing a monastic lifestyle as an antidote to contemporary fragmentation. Karásek's work avoids sentimentality, opting for darker tones that intertwine the protagonist's same-sex desires with themes of fatalism and the dual fates of his nation and city. Despite Karásek's significance in Czech literature and European Decadence, little of his work has been translated into English, making this translation of A Gothic Soul a notable first.