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Reviews
of Prague Include:
"Ingenious...Phillips
presents his characters with a wry generosity and haunting
poignancy to rival his wonderfully subversive wit."
The New York Times
"Wry and skillful...a rare balance of wisdom and imagination."
The New York Times Book Review
"Stop yearning for that elegant, entertaining novel
that used to be. Thanks to Phillips, it's right here, right
now." Newsweek
"Rhapsodic." The Washington Post Book World
"Heartbreaking...a masterpiece of caustic satire."
Los Angeles Times
"Really an old-fashioned novel of ideas...very funny...likely
to leave you aching, too." The New Yorker
"Few first novels blaze with such all-knowing poise....Phillips
is a wisecracking microbiologist of society and spirit."
People
Reading Group Discussion Guide:
1. Amusingly, critics have cited both
Phillips's "compassion" for his characters and
his "lack of compassion" for his characters. Which,
if either, of these assessments seems accurate to you? Does
an author's compassion for his or her characters matter
to your experience of reading a story? Should an author
implicitly or explicitly pass judgment or reserve judgment
on the characters? Should he or she make clear to the reader
which characters are admirable and which are not?
2.
How do you feel Part II (The Horváth Kiadó),
the subplot detailing the history of a Hungarian publishing
house, fits into the structure of Prague? What function
does it serve the novel as a whole? What is gained or lost
by its placement immediately after the stories introduced
in Part I (First Impressions)?
3.
At the end of the novel, journalist John Price, arguably
the central character of the novel, is en route to the city
of Prague. What do you think becomes of him there and afterward?
4.
The title of the book is a subject of much discussion. While
John is the only main character who aspires to the literal
Prague, how do other characters reveal their longing for
other places, times, and lives, for a metaphorical "Prague"?
Which, if any, of the characters seem to be most at peace
in their real circumstances?
5.
Did Charles Gábor, the American who invests in the
Horváth Press, behave badly? How? If so, what should
he have done instead? If he behaved badly, did he know it?
What do you think the Horváth Press represents? Is
its absorption by Multinational Median a loss?
6.
What does history mean to the novel's characters? How does
it shape their personalities and actions? Do you believe
in a "national character"? How much of an individual's
personality do you think is dictated by it? How does the
impact of characters' family history compare to the impact
of their national history?
7.
Charles Gábor says intentionally offensive things
to other characters, both in rounds of the game Sincerity
and in general conversation. John Price's columns often
say the opposite of what he feels. Nádja's stories
are often loosely inspired by the lives of her listeners.
How else does the concept of irony operate in this novel?
In what ways can irony be harmful? Why do certain characters
use it, and how? Who is the best liar in the novel?
8. Phillips lived in Budapest from 1990 to 1992. Do you
think, therefore, that his novel can be taken as an accurate
portrait of that time and place? Can it be taken as reliable
history or sociology? Can any novel? Do you believe Phillips
when he states that his main characters are "entirely
fictional"? How do you think truth is transformed into
fiction?
9.
Can "expatriate novels" be considered a genre?
If so, what do they have in common? Does Prague add anything
new to this category?
10.
The six expats and Mária are in their twenties. Imre
Horváth was in his twenties during the World War
II episodes of Part II. Nádja was in her twenties
in some of her stories. Does something happen to most people's
personalities or attitudes in this period of their lives?
How do people view an experience or an age differently as
time separates them from it?
Other Titles by Arthur Phillips:
The Egyptologist, 2004
Links:
Prague - A Novel by Arthur Phillips
An
Interview with Arthur Phillips
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ARTHUR
PHILLIPS was born in Minneapolis and educated
at Harvard. He has been a child actor, a jazz musician,
a speechwriter, a dismally failed entrepreneur, and
a five-time Jeopardy! champion. He lived in Budapest
from 1990 to 1992 and now lives in Paris with his
wife and son.