Shortly after the miracle of the loaves and the fish, a baker starts a protest against Jesus, worried about what the ability to spontaneously manifest bread will do to his business. Archemides, interrupted from his geometry calculations by an invading Roman soldier, smiles and nods and hops the nasty man will go away. Abraham and his wife, attempting to find 10 righteous people in Sodom to prevent its destruction, keep crossing people off their list because such and such owes them money, and such and such drinks too much, and so on and so forth…
Karel Čapek was one of the great writers of Czechoslovakia in the early 20th century. This here is a collection of short, occasionally minuscule fables concerning various incidents from the Bible, history, mythology and moreso. Čapek, a man with a deep love of humanity but also a sharp ear for satire, focuses in on the little people just outside of great events, or on the fallout of heroic actions. We find Lazurus, post-resurrection, with a crippling fear of ever leaving the house because, holy CRAP, he’s been dead once already and doesn’t feel like risking it again sooner than he has to. Prometheus, imprisoned by the Gods for stealing fire, is subjected by a long, tedious trial where all his bravery and generosity is framed in the pettiest of legal offence. And so on…
I’m a massive fan of Čapek’s work (especially his INSANE novel, WAR WITH THE NEWTS) but I’d be the first to admit that this is not his strongest stuff. Meant as a series of light, playful magazine articles, these brief tales, for the most part, don’t have time to really dig into the consequences and implications of their ideas. There are exceptions, though. My favorite story by far concerns Lot, who is interrupted from his sleep by a pair of Angels, who announce they are going to destroy Sodom, his hometown, and he alone with his family are to be spared. For several pages we dwell with a tired, confused Lot as he struggles, agonizingly, with the angels to save his home. Finally, terrified into at least saving his own family, he stumbles out into the desert, remembering every tradition, every smiling stranger, and every quiet street corner about to be lost forever. It’s a quick encapsulation of the horror of the refugee experience, and it makes this collection worthwhile. Me like books.
Me Like Books 