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The Gardener's Year (Hardcover)
Karel Capek; Illustrated by Josef Capek; Translated by Marie Weatherall, Robert Weatherall
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R299
R234
Discovery Miles 2 340
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The Gardener's Year is a charming and light-hearted insight into
the life of an amateur gardener. Structured loosely around what to
plant, grow or cultivate each month, Karel Capek takes us on a
rollicking journey through a year in his own small garden. Complete
and unabridged. Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library; a series
of stunning, pocket-sized classics with ribbon markers. These
beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover.
This edition features lively black and white illustrations by Czech
artist Josef Capek and is translated by M. and R. Weatherall. From
making puddles with an untamable hose to sowing luxuriant weeds
instead of grass, Capek reveals how a gardener grows into his
surroundings 'spurred on by each new failure'. Subverting the
tradition of a 'how to' gardening book, he teaches his readers
about the magic of seeds, the perils of planting vegetables and the
thrilling surprises of a rock garden. As the year progresses and
frail buds turn from flowering stems to drooping bulbs and falling
leaves, Capek's small garden buzzes with life, wisdom and humour.
Karel Capek, author of the acclaimed "War with the Newts, " is one
of the great Czechoslovak writers of the twentieth century. These
fairy tales bear Capek's combination of the fantastic and the
satirical, offering fairies, elves, and talking animals alongside
references to detectives, secret police agents, luxury automobiles,
and Hollywood starlets. Filled with the delight of language,
dazzling wordplay, a sense of absurdity about the so-called adult
world, and a deeply humane vision, these witty stories will appeal
to readers of all ages.
From the internationally acclaimed Czech writer Karel Capek comes this beautifully written and marvelously apt account of the trials and tribulations of the gardener’s life. First published in Prague in 1929, The Gardener’s Year combines a richly comic portrait of life in the garden, narrated month by month, with a series of delightful illustrations by the author’s older brother and collaborator, Josef. Capek’s gardeners—all too human, despite their lofty aspirations—often look the fool, whether they be found sopping wet, victims of the cobralike water hose, or hunched over, hands immersed in the soil, “presenting their rumps to the splendid azure sky.” In their repeated folly, Capek gives us not only cause for laughter but also, in the end, “testimony of the imperishable and miraculous optimism of the human race.”
This Modern Library edition is published with a new Introduction by Verlyn Klinkenborg, a New York Times editorialist and the author of Making Hay and The Last Fine Time.
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