The Questionnaire (Gruša novel)
The Questionnaire is the second novel of Czech writer and politician Jiří Gruša. When it was originally written in 1974, and a limited number of samizdat copies were distributed. It was formally published in 1978.[1] The English translation followed in 1982. Shortly after its limited release, typed by hand, Gruša was imprisoned on the charge of 'initiating disorder'.[2] Following widespread protest and media attention, Gruša was released after serving two months in prison. It is Gruša's most well-known and most widely translated novel.
 1978 edition | |
| Author | Jiří Gruša |
|---|---|
| Original title | Dotazník |
| Translator | Peter Kussi |
| Country | Czech Republic |
| Genre | Novel |
| Published | 1978 Sixty-Eight Publishers 1982 Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 278 pp |
Plot summary
Jan Chrysostom Kepka is asked to complete a questionnaire for a job application, required by the faceless bureaucrat Comrade Pavlenda. What follows is an ironic answer: a full and surreal account of Jan's life and times.
References
- Censorship: A World Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. 2001. pp. 995–996. ISBN 9781136798641. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- Banerjee, Maria Němcová (Spring 1983). "Reviewed Work: The Questionnaire, or Prayer for a Town and a Friend by Jiří Gruša, Peter Kussi". World Literature Today. 57 (2): 314. doi:10.2307/40138038. JSTOR 40138038.