Saturnin (novel)
 Book cover by Adolf Born | |
| Author | Zdeněk Jirotka |
|---|---|
| Country | Czechoslovakia |
| Language | Czech |
Publication date | 1942 |
Saturnin is a 1942 humorous novel by Zdeněk Jirotka, with characters such as the dangerous servant Saturnin, the annoying Aunt Kateřina and her son Milouš, Uncle František, Doctor Vlach, and the narrator's grandfather.
The book is probably the best work of Zdeněk Jirotka. This novel is strongly inspired by work of English authors, esp. Jerome K. Jerome and by novels and short stories by English writer P. G. Wodehouse which features the character of the servant Jeeves. It has been translated into English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Serbo-Croatian, Estonian and Latvian. Foreign language versions are issued by Charles University's publisher Karolinum.
Film, television, and theatrical adaptations
The basic storyline of this novel has been filmed as Saturnin, which was then split into a 4-part series and broadcast on Czech television. The servant Saturnin was played by Oldřich Vízner.
Characters
- Saturnin - a servant with a bold sense of humor
- Narrator - in the book without name, in the film the Narrator is called Jiří Oulický
- Aunt Kateřina - she is a negative figure in novel, she uses proverbs too often
- Grandpa - an old rich man
- Miss Barbora Terebová - a sweet modern woman
- Doctor Vlach - a man with a rather harsh sense of humor
- Milouš - a boorish wastrel
- Uncle František - he is already dead at the time of the storyline
Analysis
- Sehnalová, Kamila. 2013. Comparative Analysis of Czech, English and German Proverbs in Jirotka's Saturnin. BA thesis, Charles University, Prague. Link to thesis