The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hašek
"The Good Soldier Svejk" is a satirical novel set during World War I, following the story of a Czech soldier in the Austro-Hungarian army. Svejk, the protagonist, is a simple-minded, good-natured man who is frequently arrested for bungling jobs due to his apparent idiocy. Despite his constant run-ins with authority, Svejk manages to maintain his cheerful disposition and even takes advantage of his perceived stupidity to manipulate the system. The book offers a humorous and critical perspective on the absurdity of war and the incompetence of military bureaucracy.
The 229th greatest book of all time
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following lists:
- 7th on Kanon na koniec wieku (Canon at the end of the century) (Rzeczpospolita (newspaper))
- 24th on Big Read (Bulgarian) (Bulgaria)
- 37th on 100 Books of Classical and Modern Foreign Literature (The Union of Russian Writers)
- 66th on Big Read (Hungarian) (Hungaria)
- 109th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- ZEIT-Bibliothek der 100 Bücher (Die Zeit)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century (New York Public Library)
- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) (Tidningen Boken)
- Best Books Ever (bookdepository.com)
- The Bigger Read List (English PEN)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)