Jaroslav

A BRIEF HISTORY OF LIVING FOREVER , by Jaroslav Kalfar Jaroslav Kalfar’s first novel, “ Spaceman of Bohemia ” (2017), was about a vaguely bewildered Czech professor of astrophysics who blasts into space on an urgent mission. Once up there, his wife back on Earth leaves him and (worse?) a giant, hairy spider latches onto his spaceship. The spider, unlike his wife, can read his mind. The first half of “Spaceman of Bohemia,” which was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke award for science fiction and is being made into a film with Adam Sandler and Carey Mulligan, is inventive and charming: It makes you smile. The book reminded me of Victor Pelevin’s short, absurdist and moving Russian space novel, “ Omon Ra ” (1998). Pelevin’s book is about a soul sitting in a tin can, and it is ripe for rediscovery. In the second half of “Spaceman in Bohemia,” the spider probes into deeper matters, such as the professor’s history and the Czech Republic’s, and the novel slowly grows leaden. The … [Read more...] about Welcome to Immortality. Your Body Can’t Come With You.

SPACEMAN OF BOHEMIA All new books, but debut novels especially, are blind dates. The raconteur who charmingly burbles during drinks is tapped out of stories by the time the oysters arrive; the genius who wears his erudition so lightly over appetizers starts clubbing you over the head with it during dessert. ( No, your mind screams when things turn . And it was all going so well. ) I start a lot of debut novels in this job. Most betray me at some point or another — though a few make my heart do cartwheels, or at least a pirouette. Jaroslav Kalfar’s “Spaceman of Bohemia” is not a perfect first effort. But it’s a frenetically imaginative one, booming with vitality and originality when it isn’t indulging in the occasional excess. Kalfar’s voice is distinct enough to leave tread marks. He has a great snout for the absurd. He has such a lively mind and so many ideas to explore that it only bothered me a little — well, more than a little, but less than usual — that this book … [Read more...] about Meet an Intergalactic Spider in ‘Spaceman of Bohemia’

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for March 22 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. The United States has offered Slovakia 12 new military helicopters as compensation for the MiG-29 fighter jets the European country is giving to Ukraine, Slovakia's defense minister said Wednesday. Under the offer, Slovakia would pay $340 million for the Bell AH-1Z attack choppers in a deal worth about $1 billion that also includes 500 AGM-114 Hellfire II missiles and training, Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said. U.S. foreign military financing would cover the other $660 million, he said. The European Union also would send Slovakia $213 million in additional compensation, Nad said. SLOVAKIA'S GOVERNMENT APPROVES PLAN TO SEND UKRAINE ITS FLEET OF 13 SOVIET-ERA MIG-29 FIGHTER JETS A Yugoslav airforce Mig-29 fighter flies over Belgrade in June 1998. Slovakia was offered 12 new … [Read more...] about US offers Slovakia a dozen new military helicopters as compensation for supplying Ukraine with a fleet of jets

close Video Putin is running out of ammunition in Ukraine: Rep. Michael McCaul House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, says Putin is meeting with Xi Jinping because he needs military help to defeat Ukraine on 'Your World.' Slovakia handed over the first four Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine on Thursday, with nine more expected to be delivered in the coming weeks, Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad announced. Ukrainian pilots traveled to Slovakia to pick up the planes before flying them home. "Slovakia is on the right side, and with this gesture, we as a country have written ourselves in capital letters in modern world history, which speak of timely help, sincere solidarity and the greatness of the nation," Nad said in a statement. next Image 1 of 3 A pair of Slovak MiG-29 jets take off at Silac Air Base in Slovakia, in this still image released on March 23, 2023. (Slovak … [Read more...] about Slovakia delivers first four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, defense minister says

The leader of Bulgaria, a European Union and NATO member-state, says his country will not use its arsenal of Soviet-era warplanes, air defence missiles, and tanks to bolster the Ukrainian war machine. President Rumen Radev says “Bulgaria does not support and is not part of the general order for the supply of shells to Ukraine” he said in reference to an EU joint procurement programme which is believed to be going badly , adding that his country will instead “support European diplomatic efforts to restore peace,” according to a report by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) A U.S. government-funded news organisation which received CIA funding until at least the 1970s and claims its “mission is to promote democratic values by providing accurate, uncensored news and open debate in countries where a free press is threatened and disinformation is pervasive”, RFE/RL describes President Radev as being “known for his pro-Kremlin leanings”, and said he also ruled out Bulgarian … [Read more...] about Leader of NATO Bulgaria Says No Warplanes, Tanks for Ukraine