In “Debunking a Myth: Jaroslav Hasek’s Death,” professor Paul Saman aims to expose and debunk a persistent myth surrounding the sudden death of the irreverent Czech writer Jaroslav Hasek, whose influential satirical novel The Good Soldier Svejk has been translated into more than fifty languages.

An analysis of the available documentation from the last weeks and days of his life demonstrates that, contrary to the prevailing belief, Hasek had been in stable health until the last few days of his life, and cannot plausibly have "drunk himself to death," as the myth has it. Prof. Saman will present questions, arguments, and testimonies of Hasek's contemporaries, which he has analyzed together with medical expert Dr. Frank Loskot.

Moderated by Christopher Harwood, PhD.

Paul Saman was born in Istanbul in 1928 and grew up in Prague, Czechoslovakia. He holds a PhD in Turkish, Persian, and classical Arabic from Charles University. His academic work before emigrating in 1960 included teaching at the Oriental Institute in Prague, and publications on Central Asian folklore for academic journals, radio, and television. He worked for American intelligence for two years in Germany. After moving to the United States, he became professor in the Foreign Languages department of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he taught until the 1990s. Now retired, he lives in Asheville, North Carolina. 

Free and open to the public. Suggested donation $5. RSVP through Eventbrite to receive the Zoom link.

Note: In April 2021, ŠVEJKathon took place, an online nine-hour nonstop reading with 59 readers.  Watch SVEJKathon Video #1, recording of the first hour, on YouTube. We recommend watching at least the introductory remarks by Vaclav Paris, PhD, an expert on Jaroslav Hasek.

This event is organized by the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences, New York Chapter, with the support of the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association.