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How I Came to Know Fish

Ota Pavel

$29.99

Paperback

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English
Penguin
09 July 2010
'The quill made a JUMP! and disappeared. I could see it racing under the surface towards the marsh marigolds. The rod bent into an arch, and for the first time in my life I felt the delicious pull of a fish.'

How I Came to Know Fish (1974) is Ota Pavel's magical memoir of his childhood in Czechoslovakia. Fishing with his father and his Uncle Prosek - the two finest fishermen in the world - he takes a peaceful pleasure from the rivers and ponds of his country. But when the Nazis invade, his father and two older brothers are sent to concentration camps and Pavel must steal their confiscated fish back from under the noses of the SS to feed his family. With tales of his father's battle to provide for his family both in wealthy freedom and in terrifying persecution, this is one boy's passionate and affecting tale of life, love and fishing.
By:  
Imprint:   Penguin
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 130mm,  Spine: 10mm
Weight:   114g
ISBN:   9780141192833
ISBN 10:   0141192836
Series:   Penguin Modern Classics
Pages:   144
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  Primary & secondary/elementary & high school ,  College/higher education ,  ELT Advanced ,  Children's (6-12)
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Ota Pavel (1930-1973) worked for much of his short life as a journalist and sports reporter. Despite serious bouts of mental illness he wrote brilliant, lyrical accounts, some collected in How I Came to Know Fish, of his childhood and his family in a Czechoslovakia under overwhelming threat from Nazism.

Reviews for How I Came to Know Fish

A moving, bittersweet coming of age ... A collection that works its magic quietly Kirkus Reviews [The series] sheds remarkable light on the literature, culture and politics of the region...anyone coming fresh to the field will be captivated by the richness, variety, humour and pathos of a classic literature that, through a shared historical experience, transcends national and linguistic boundaries. -- CJ Schuler Independent on Sunday This [series] is a wonderful idea ... They are absurdist parables, by turns hilarious, unsettling and enigmatic. -- Nicholas Lezard Guardian I urge you to go and read them. -- Adam Thirlwell New Statesman This new series of Central European Classics is important well beyond simply providing 'good reads'. -- Stephen Vizinczey Daily Telegraph


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