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Crossroads of Imagination

Czech Fantastic Literature 1831–1945
Series: Modern Czech Classics
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Brief Description
The first anthology of early Czech fantastic writing in translation. Crossroads of Imagination is a rare English-language study of modern science fiction's precursors beyond the U.S. and Britain. Many translated for the first time, these thirty texts reflect a rich Euro-Atlantic tradition from the Romantic age... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$5699
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Releases 25th September 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Crossroads of Imagination" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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The first anthology of early Czech fantastic writing in translation.

Crossroads of Imagination is a rare English-language study of modern science fiction's precursors beyond the U.S. and Britain. Many translated for the first time, these thirty texts reflect a rich Euro-Atlantic tradition from the Romantic age to World War II. Authors include Jakub Arbes, Karel Čapek, Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic, Ladislav Klíma, Jiří Mordechai Langer, Jan Neruda, Emilie Procházková, Jan Weiss, and Julius Zeyer. The anthology highlights women's, Jewish, and queer voices.

Prefaces to each selection uncover how new ideas and technologies shaped the European fantastic—positivism, mistrust of elites, pacifism, spiritism, and xenophobia, alongside expansions in communications, transportation, electrification, and technical education. Comparative essays and annotations look beyond "major" literatures and emphasise those of East-Central Europe. Archival images enliven this collection. General and genre readers alike will discover new stories and authors, as well as a fantastic tradition shared across Europe and North America before the advent of modern science fiction.

Series: Modern Czech Classics

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9788024662763

Publisher: Karolinum,Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy,Czech Republic

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 September 2026

Country: Czechia

Imprint: Karolinum,Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy,Czech Republic

Illustration: 1 halftone

Contributors:

  • Translated by Melvyn Clarke
  • Translated by Carleton Bulkin
  • Preface by Ivan Adamovic
  • Afterword by Michal Fránek
  • Afterword by Ivan Adamovic
  • Edited by Carleton Bulkin
  • Preface by Michal Fránek
  • Translated by Cyril Simsa
  • Translated by Tony Mileman

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 190.0mm

Weight: 454g

Pages: 700

Collections

Biography & Memoir Fiction General Fiction LGBTQ+ Pre-order Books Pre-Order Science Fiction & Fantasy Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Sci-Fi & Fantasy Science Fiction Series: Modern Czech Classics

About the Author

Carleton Bulkin is a scholar of Slavic languages and literatures and a translator of Czech works, including Hidden History by Otokar Brezina, A False Dawn by Ilona Lacková, The Sufferings of Prince Sternenhoch by Ladislav Klíma, and Marketa Lazarová by Vladislav Vancura. Melvyn Clarke is a translator of Czech.

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