Sometimes called the Czech Bukowski, and more widely known by the
epithet "Magor" (which translates roughly to "fool" or "madman"), Ivan
Jirous was one of the most significant figures in the Czechoslovak
cultural underground of the 1960s through the '80s. Although trained as
an art historian and famed for his poetry, Jirous was convinced that it
was actually rock and roll music that held the greatest potential to
enact change under the repressive regime of communist Czechoslovakia. He
designated himself as the artistic director of the dissident rock band
The Plastic People of the Universe, legendary for psychedelic music that
was heavily influenced by nonconformist Western acts like Frank Zappa
and The Velvet Underground. Alongside other figures from the musical
underground, Jirous was arrested in 1976--the second of five prison
sentences he would serve for his dissent--which helped bring about the
landmark civil rights initiative known as Charter 77. In the wake of
1989's Velvet Revolution, Váсlav Havel--the first president of the Czech
Republic--was to say that Jirous and his unwavering commitment to
liberation played "no small part" in casting off the yoke of Soviet
oppression.
End of the World is the first major collection in English of the works
of this legendary Czech "madman." Although nicknamed for his aggressive
and rebellious behavior, Jirous's writing reveal a refined,
sophisticated, and even tender sensibility. Translated in part by Paul
Wilson, an original member of the Plastic People, the book gathers his
poems and letters from prison, as well as his book-length prose work,
The True Story of the Plastic People, alongside critical essays on
Jirous's life and work. End of the World is an ideal introduction to
the raucous writer who playwright Tom Stoppard referred to as one of the
most interesting personalities in modern Czech history.
