Prague in black and gold

by Demetz, Peter

Prague in Black and Gold strips away the sentimental distortions in a brilliant account that clarifies Prague's true place in world civilization. Demetz begins with the intriguing myths about Prague's origins -- told and retold by generations of artists -- contrasting them with the confirmed archaeological truths about the site's pre-Roman settlements. He weaves together the colorful strands of Prague's literary traditions (Latin, Czech, German, and Jewish) with the story of its scintillating political and cultural advances, and focuses on key moments in its multicultural life: under King Charles, when it was the capital of the Holy Roman Empire; in the turbulent years of the Hussite rebellion; under Emperor Rudolf II, during the Renaissance, when it was home to Europe's best rationalists and most famous occultists; in the time of Mozart; and in the ages of revolutionary nationalism and of T.G. Masaryk, heroic first president of Czechoslovakia. Throughout, Demetz shows how Czechs, Germ