Karolinum’s Modern Czech Classics series presents quintessential modern and historical literary works of Central Europe, making them available to readers in English and in other languages. Books in this series are prepared in cooperation with prominent foreign Czech scholars and translators, while their visual form is the work of renowned graphic artist Zdeněk Ziegler and comic book illustrator Jiří Grus. The books include scholarly epilogs to provide foreign readers with background information on the context and period in which the works were written.

A total of twelve books have been published since 2003, including new paperback editions of books by Bohumil Hrabal (Rambling On), Vladislav Vančura (Rozmarné léto), Zdeněk Jirotka (Saturnin), Karel Poláček (We Were a Handful) and Jaroslav Hašek (Behind the Lines) published this year.

Upcoming titles include a selection of Bohuslav Reynek’s poems, an English translation of Ludvík Vaculík’s Czech Dreambook and a collection of short stories by Jan Čep. Viktor Dyk’s Pied Piper will appear in English and French translations. The entire MCC series will also be available in the electronic format as part of the worldwide university library network.