Description

Rake, drunkard, aesthete, news, raconteur extraordinaire: the narrator of Bohumil Hrabal’s rambling, rambunctious masterpiece Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age is each one of these and more. Talking with several tanning girls who tell him of enthusiasts past, this aged roué shows the tale of his life—or at-least unburdens herself of the lifetime’s value of tales. Hence we discover of amatory conquests (and humiliations), of scams both personal and public, of military activities and domestic feuds, of what things were like “in the times of the monarchy” and how they’ve transformed since. Assumes deeper shadings, and the witty tone whilst the guide tumbles restlessly ahead, we recognize we're hearing a guy speaking just as much out-of frustration as from exuberance.