Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
16 used & new from CDN$ 5.96
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Tales from Two Pockets
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

Tales from Two Pockets (Paperback)

by Karel Capek (Author), Norma Comrada (Translator)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 22.95
Price: CDN$ 16.75 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
You Save: CDN$ 6.20 (27%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Temporarily out of stock.
Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available.

8 new from CDN$ 8.97 8 used from CDN$ 5.96

Frequently Bought Together

Tales from Two Pockets + Apocryphal Tales + R.U.R.
Total List Price: CDN$ 46.85
Price For All Three: CDN$ 34.99

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details

  • This item: Tales from Two Pockets by Karel Capek

    Temporarily out of stock.
    Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details

  • Apocryphal Tales by Karel Capek

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details

  • R.U.R. by Karel Capek

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Apocryphal Tales

Apocryphal Tales

by Karel Capek
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  CDN$ 15.29
› Explore similar items

Product Details

Product Description

From Amazon.com

Karel Capek (1890-1938), one of the greatest Czechoslovakian authors of the century, and who mastered numerous forms of writing, was particularly inventive with the genre of mystery, detective, and crime fiction. In Tales from Two Pockets, however, Capek took the crime story and related forms of the genre to new levels, weaving strange, short, and powerful psychological studies of ordinary human beings caught in extraordinary and improbable circumstances. Through these intense but always fun stories, Capek moves brilliantly but lightly in the philosophical realms of human existence, exploring the nature of crime and justice, even the very concept of truth.


From Publishers Weekly

This newly translated collection of all Capek's mystery stories originally published in Czechslovakia in the late '20s is one of the great works of the mystery genre. In 48 gripping short works, Capek ( War with the Newts ) proves that he had not only mastered the plot and mood necessary for good suspense but that he was able to take his mysteries to philosophical heights few in the genre aspire to. His stories deconstruct the very suppositions that make crime fiction plausible by calling into question the reliance of the typical literary detective on the powers of deduction and the moral correctness of human judgment. Thus the title character of "The Adventures of a Breach-of-Promise Con Man" turns out to be more honorable than the detective pursuing him; the man asked to judge a murderess in "The Juror" discovers that his entire society is on trial; and in the book's most surreal story, "The Last Judgment," God himself leaves the eternal fate of a multiple murderer in the hands of a human court, claiming that "Because I know everything, I can't possibly judge." In their dissection of truth and our capacity for judgment, the dilemmas in Capek's work are not always resolved, or are solved incidentally. These haunting, parable-like works reconfirm Capek's standing as one of Czechoslovakia's most intellectually piercing literary voices. Illustrations not seen by PW .
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
Search inside this book:

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews

 
5.0 out of 5 stars great bedtime reading, Sep 1 2003
By zolo (NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews
great stories to read a few at a time, not necessarily in order. they are like a whimsical sherlock holmes with a definite eastern european bent. i had never read any Capek before and I think this has been a great start.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5.0 out of 5 stars Aptly translated into English from the original Czech, Nov 6 2002
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
Aptly translated into English from the original Czech by Norma Comrada, Tales from Two Pockets is an anthology of 48 classic short stories by Karl Capek, each of which centers on the themes of mystery, solving puzzles and discovering deft culprits. Tales From Two Pockets is a mind-teasing, imaginative, and deftly woven collection which will aptly serve to introduce Capek to a new generation of readers, and is a "must" for anyone who appreciates a well and deftly written story.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5.0 out of 5 stars A fun book, Jan 2 2001
By doc peterson (Portland, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
I purchased this book on the recommendations of Amazon.com readers. I was not disappointed. Tales from Two Pockets is a collection of short-stories by Czech mystery writer and playwrite Karel Capek. The stories are delightful, with many humorous and unexpected twists. Each story is wholly different from the others, but all are brilliant and a joy to read.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 		 Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars savor them slowly
My Brother-in-Law first mentioned this collection of stories by Karel Capek, one of the seminal Czech writers of the pre-Communist era, best known now, if at all, for originating... Read more
Published on Oct 6 2000 by Orrin C. Judd

5.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff!
Capek's short stories are a challenge and a delight to read. The Disappearance of Mr. Hirsh and An Ordinary Murder are particularly good. Read more
Published on Jun 28 1997

Only search this product's reviews


Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject























i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.