From political novels to surrealist poetry and censored rock and roll, Czech underground culture of the latter twentieth
century displayed an astonishing, and unheralded, variety. This fascinating exploration of that underground movement—the historical, sociological,and psychological background that gave rise to it; the literature, music, and arts that comprised it; and its morerecent incorporation into the mainstream—draws on the voices of scholars and critics who themselves played an integral role in generating it. Featuring the writings of Czech poet Ivan Martin Jirous, philosopher-poet Egon Bondy, and writer Jáchym Topol, and Canadian expat and translator Paul Wilson—many of which have never before been available in English—as well as an expanded bibliography reflecting advances in scholarship. This second edition is both a work of literature and an eye-opening volume of criticism.