Creative play with the convention in the Letters by Michał Šanda to/and Karl Havlíček Borovski

Abstract

The subject of analysis is a small book by Michal Šanda (1965) Dopisy (2009). In the book the contemporary writer enters into a correspondence dialogue with Karel Havlíček Borovský (1821–1856). He creatively uses the authentic letters the Czech publicist sent from Brixen to his brother František and intertwines them with a six-month account of his life described in the convention of magical realism. By using the scrabble theme and the principle of ”rewriting”, Šanda creates a multi-layered system of references, which includes, for example, a place for Ernest Hemingway. This peculiar double voice, formally maintaining the convention of epistolographic discourse, becomes a contribution not only to reflections on bee breeding (the only thread that clearly links the two correspondents), but also on the role of literature.