Karel Veselý

Bomb★Funk

Bomba★Funk Bomba★Funk
Bomba★Funk
BiggBoss, 2017, 318 pp
9788090681712

“Funny, light, […] funky.”
— Právo

“The narrative has an unmistakable and thrilling rhythm, relying on the funk that pulses throughout the entire text.”
— iLiteratura

Read an excerpt:
German
French

In this satirical reimagining of the final years of the Communist Era in Czechoslovakia, a fictional funk band is tasked with saving the Communist Revolution.

Literary fiction

With the support of President Gustav Husák, twenty-three-year old cultural officer, Jiří, forms a funk band. The Funky Leninz is meant to reignite the country’s revolutionary spirit through their catchy riffs and optimistic songs. To achieve this, Jiří gathers a ragtag group of musicians, including fictionalised versions of real athletes and political figures. Evolving from playing James Brown and Parliament covers to creating a groundbreaking conceptual double album, the Funky Leninz must outwit devious politicians, uncover spies in their midst, and overcome, both, artistic and personal disagreements.

Author Karel Veselý, a popular music journalist, is known for his ability to present complex and technical cultural concepts through accessible narration. He proves this in BombFunk, where even recording sessions and musical theory are described in a way that appeals to all readers.

Karel Veselý (1976) is a music journalist, and promoter and theorist of hip-hop and modern electronic music. He is a regular contributor to the Czech Radio – Radio Wave station, the Aktuálně.cz online newspaper and the A2 cultural magazine. His debut novel, Bomba★Funk (Bomb★Funk, 2017), was selected by the online literary magazine, iLiteratura, as one of the best books of 2017. Additionally, an excerpt from the text was chosen for the 2018 Susanna Roth Award for beginners of Czech translation.


“Funny, light, […] funky.”
— Právo

“The narrative has an unmistakable and thrilling rhythm, relying on the funk that pulses throughout the entire text.”
— iLiteratura

Bomba★Funk
BiggBoss, 2017, 318 pp
9788090681712
Read an excerpt:
German
French