Love and Garbage

Author Ivan Klima
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Love and Garbage is set in Prague years before the Velvet Revolution and explores themes of conscience and betrayal that cut to the bone of life in both totalitarian and democratic societies. The writer-hero of this shrewd and poignant novel has responded to state suppression by becoming a street-sweeper. From his vantage point in Prague's gutters comes a piercing vision of a world in which everything--from uncomfortable ideas to a former mistress--may be reduced to garbage and only love has the power to grant permanence.

"Masterful...Klima truly is an heir to Kafka. Love and Garbage is a supreme testimony to the power of the individual imagination to discover meaning and sustenance in a blighted world."--Newsday
Ivan Klíma is an award-winning novelist, playwright, and essayist whose work was long suppressed under communism. View titles by Ivan Klima

About

Love and Garbage is set in Prague years before the Velvet Revolution and explores themes of conscience and betrayal that cut to the bone of life in both totalitarian and democratic societies. The writer-hero of this shrewd and poignant novel has responded to state suppression by becoming a street-sweeper. From his vantage point in Prague's gutters comes a piercing vision of a world in which everything--from uncomfortable ideas to a former mistress--may be reduced to garbage and only love has the power to grant permanence.

"Masterful...Klima truly is an heir to Kafka. Love and Garbage is a supreme testimony to the power of the individual imagination to discover meaning and sustenance in a blighted world."--Newsday

Author

Ivan Klíma is an award-winning novelist, playwright, and essayist whose work was long suppressed under communism. View titles by Ivan Klima

Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Every May we celebrate the rich history and culture of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Browse a curated selection of fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators that we think your students will love. Find our full collection of titles for Higher Education here.

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