Description of a Struggle [antikvár]

Preface The Czech philosopher Jan Patocka said, 'It is morality that defines man.' But man has been ill-defined for a long time. Marx stood Hegel on his head: They know, yet they do.' In the wake lies Eastern Europe, which has appeared as a lost continent for over forty years. Eastern Europe has its attractions. It gives us none of the affirmations so eagerly sought by politicians. Its literature remains unhealthy, despite the fall of the Berlin Wall. As Dostoevsky mused: 'Only those burdened with a common affliction understand each other.' I stole the title Description of a Strug0U from Kafka, who wrote: 'The thing that pleases me the most about the short story is that I have got rid of it.' I wished to preserve his sense of timing, his black-hole metaphysics in an anthology that clearly shares his weapons. I have tried to capture the delinquency of authors whose interior designs inevitably landscaped the times. I have gathered what I have heard. Forty-three resident authors were chosen from the territories of Eastern Europe, whose once smug borders now resemble collapsed lungs. For those who wish to debate the location of Eastern Europe, turn to the New Tork Review of Axxb. For those who think that communism is dead, locate and consult Danilo Kis, who will objea. The roads that do not promise their destination are the loved roads.' Michael March