In den Klauen des Doppeladlers

Abstract

This study offers an analysis of several Czech literary figures as well as figures from German-language twentieth century literature from the Bohemian lands, considering their potential for fostering culture and myths in the country’s collective memory with regard to the First World War and the person of crown prince Franz Ferdinand. It is noted that the only figure in the works of the first half of the twentieth century to be given a wider reception outside of literary narrative studies is that of Švejk, which enjoys international renown. For the second half of the twentieth century, the national-local cultural space appears to be dominated by the Cimrman myth, which is far less well known abroad. This myth survived the era known as the Normalization after 1968, the Fall of Communism in 1989 and the partition of Czechoslovakia in 1993. It still plays an important formative role for Czech self-perception by way of dialectically combining „Austria nostalgia“ with the emancipatory national idea.