Rusalka

A Lyrical Fairy-tale in Three Acts

Jaroslav Kvapil, Patrick John Corness

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English

Karolinum,Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy,Czech Republic
01 August 2020

Musical scores, lyrics & libretti

Series: Modern Czech Classics

Famous as the libretto for Antonín Dvorák’s opera of the same name, Jaroslav Kvapil’s poem Rusalka is an intriguing work of literature on its own. Directly inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous “The Little Mermaid,” Kvapil’s reinterpretation adds an array of nuanced poetic techniques, a more dramatic tempo, and dark undertones that echo the work of eminent Czech folklorist Karel Jaromír Erben. All of these influences work in tandem to create a poetic work that is familiar yet innovative.

Transposed into the folkloric topos of a landlocked Bohemia, the mermaid is rendered here as a Slavic rusalka—a dangerous water nymph—who must choose between love and immortality. Thus, Rusalka, while certainly paying homage to the original story’s Scandinavian roots, is still a distinct work of modern Czech literature. Newly translated by Patrick Corness, Kvapil’s work will now find a fresh group of readers looking to get lost in one of Europe’s great lyrical fairy tale traditions.

By: Jaroslav Kvapil
Translated by: Patrick John Corness
Imprint: Karolinum,Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy,Czech Republic
Dimensions: Height: 191mm, Width: 127mm, Spine: 13mm
ISBN: 9788024643816
ISBN 10: 8024643812
Series: Modern Czech Classics
Pages: 100
Publication Date: 01 August 2020
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jaroslav Kvapil (1868–1950) was a Czech poet, theater director, translator, and playwright. Patrick Corness is a translator from Czech, German, Russian, and Ukrainian. He is currently visiting professor of translation at Coventry University in England.

Reviews for Rusalka: A Lyrical Fairy-tale in Three Acts

Redolent . . . with forbidden realms of desire. . . . A composite of legends and literary sources, combining aspects of the French tale of Undine, Gerhart Hauptmann's elf, and Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid. The water nymph falls in love with a prince. A witch allows her to enter the human world, but at the price of losing her voice. If she also loses her love, she will be forever doomed to lure men to their deaths in her cold embrace. --Edward Rothstein New York Times, on Kvapil's libretto for Antonin Dvorak's Rusalka