WEEKLY QUIZ: How well do you know Czech authors?

Test your knowledge on notable literary figures from the Czech Republic.

Expats.cz Staff

Written by Expats.cz Staff Published on 21.07.2023 17:00:00 (updated on 25.10.2023) Reading time: 1 minute

Czech-born author Milan Kundera was cremated and laid to rest in Paris this week. Kundera, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 94, leaves behind a literary legacy represented by a wide body of work, some of which has been translated into eighty languages. In his honor, we've prepared a Czech literature quiz stretching from the 1800s to modern times. Test your knowledge of Czech writers, from well-known to obscure authors, with our weekly quiz.

Question 1 / 10

Which Czech humorist and satirist wrote The Good Soldier Švejk and His Fortunes in the World War?

Please answer previous questions first.

  • Petr Bezruč
  • Jaroslav Hašek
  • Karel Havlíček Borovský
  • Zdeněk Svěrák
Question 2 / 10

Which of these novels by Bohumil Hrabal was made into an Oscar-winning film by director Jiří Menzel?

Please answer previous questions first.

  • The Little Town Where Time Stood Still
  • I Served the King of England
  • Closely Watched Trains
  • Too Loud a Solitude
Question 3 / 10

This Czech author's stories frequently focused on coming-of-age tales and sports. His most famous work includes How I Came to Know Fish.

Please answer previous questions first.

  • Petr Pavel
  • Ota Pavel
  • Ota Filip
  • Václav Havel
Question 4 / 10

Ivan Klíma became disillusioned with communism after the 1968 invasion. What is the name of the novel that he wrote about his experiences as a former communist?

Please answer previous questions first.

  • A Ship Named Hope
  • Waiting for the Dark, Waiting for the Light
  • The Ultimate Intimacy
  • Love and Garbage
Question 5 / 10

Which of these books or plays was not written by Karel Čapek?

Please answer previous questions first.

  • R.U.R.: Rossum's Universal Robots
  • The Gardener's Year
  • War with the Newts
  • Spaceman of Bohemia
Question 6 / 10

Which novel by Milan Kundera was adapted into a film that was banned until after the Velvet Revolution?

Please answer previous questions first.

  • The Unbearable Lightness of Being
  • The Joke
  • The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
  • Ignorance
Question 7 / 10

Arnošt Lustig was a prolific writer whose work often touched on the Holocaust. What was the title of his last novel, published in 2000?

Please answer previous questions first.

  • Sophie's Choice
  • Lovely Green Eyes: A Novel
  • The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
  • The Yellow Bird Sings
Question 8 / 10

What surrealist writer penned Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, about a teenage girl who has strange visions about a vampire, changelings, and lecherous priests?

Please answer previous questions first.

  • Franz Kafka
  • Vítězslav Nezval
  • Gustav Meyrink
  • Alois Jirásek
Question 9 / 10

A street in Vinohrady is named for this author and politician who wrote a Czech-language adaptation of The Pied Piper legend.

Please answer previous questions first.

  • Jan Neruda
  • Viktor Dyk
  • Jaroslav Seifert
  • Josef Jungmann
Question 10 / 10

A bronze bust of this feminist author can be found in Karlovo náměstí. She often wrote about social themes.

Please answer previous questions first.

  • Karolina Světlá
  • Božena Němcová
  • Marie Pujmanová
  • Milena Jesenská

Did you like this article?

Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more