--- product_id: 413445430 title: "The Good Soldier Svejk" price: "SAR 124" currency: SAR in_stock: true reviews_count: 5 url: https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/413445430-the-good-soldier-svejk store_origin: SA region: Saudi Arabia --- # Unabridged English translation with intro & extras Classic Penguin paperback edition Includes maps & original Josef Ladas illustrations The Good Soldier Svejk **Price:** SAR 124 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 📖 Own the satire that shaped modern anti-war literature! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Good Soldier Svejk - **How much does it cost?** SAR 124 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.sa](https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/413445430-the-good-soldier-svejk) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Rich Historical Context:** Explore Czech names guide, period maps, and authentic illustrations for immersive reading. - • **Highly Rated & Celebrated:** 4.6/5 stars from 330+ readers—join the community of discerning literary connoisseurs. - • **Timeless Satirical Masterpiece:** Dive into the hilarious anti-war genius that inspired Catch-22. - • **Complete Penguin Classics Edition:** Unabridged, unbowdlerized text with expert introduction by Cecil Parrott. - • **Perfect for Thoughtful Millennial Readers:** A witty, subversive critique of bureaucracy and war that resonates today. ## Overview The Good Soldier Švejk, a Penguin Classics paperback, offers an unabridged English translation with a scholarly introduction, original illustrations, and historical guides. This 2005 edition presents Jaroslav Hašek’s iconic satirical novel that humorously exposes the absurdity of war through the misadventures of a loyal yet bumbling Czech soldier during WWI. Highly rated and influential, it remains a must-read for fans of literary wit and political satire. ## Description The inspiration for such works as Joseph Heller's Catch-22 , Jaroslav Hašek's black satire The Good Soldier Švejk is translated with an introduction by Cecil Parrott in Penguin Classics. Good-natured and garrulous, Švejk becomes the Austro-Hungarian army's most loyal Czech soldier when he is called up on the outbreak of the First World War - although his bumbling attempts to get to the front serve only to prevent him from reaching it. Playing cards, getting drunk and becoming a general nuisance, the resourceful Švejk uses all his natural cunning and genial subterfuge to deal with the doctors, police, clergy and officers who chivvy him towards battle. The story of a 'little man' caught in a vast bureaucratic machine, The Good Soldier Švejk combines dazzling wordplay and piercing satire to create a hilariously subversive depiction of the futility of war. Cecil Parrott's vibrant, unabridged and unbowdlerized translation is accompanied by an introduction discussing Hašek's turbulent life as an anarchist, communist and vagranty, and the Everyman character of Švejk. This edition also includes a guide to Czech names, maps and original illustrations by Josef Ladas. Jaroslav Hašek (1883-1923) Besides this book, the writer wrote more than 2,000 short works, short stories, glosses, sketches, mostly under various pen-names. If you enjoyed The Good Soldier Švejk , you might like Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita , also available in Penguin Classics. 'Brilliant ... perhaps the funniest novel ever written' George Monbiot 'Hašek was a comic genius' Sunday Times 'Hašek was a humorist of the highest calibre....A later age will perhaps put him on a level with Cervantes and Rabelais' Max Brod Review: Great Book - Wonderful to be able to buy this book again. A very amusing book. Review: A rather comic but rambling expose on the ultimate inadequacy of War - This book ia a rambling account of Svejk, a Czech underling who enlisted in the Austro Hungarian army in the 1st world war as the batman of a lieutenant, and his adventures while en route to the battle front. Rather in the same vein as Tom Jones i.e. the picaresque tradition of English novels. While full of hilarious and improbable incidents described tongue in cheek and sprinkled with profanities and sexual encounters,it tends to drag a bit after some time, the incidents becoming predictable and repetative. Difficult to finish at one go. The underlying anti-war values and ultimate futility of war portrayed are for all times though. ## Features - Penguin classics - Binding: paperback - Language: english - Manufacturer: Penguin classics - Brand: Penguin classics - Publication date: 2005-04-28T00:00:01Z - Manufacturer: Penguin Classics - Brand: Penguin Classics ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #47,313 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #61 in Drama & Play Types #85 in Satire #205 in War Fiction | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 330 Reviews | ## Images ![The Good Soldier Svejk - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61DI41pxVsL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Book *by C***Y on 27 January 2023* Wonderful to be able to buy this book again. A very amusing book. ### ⭐⭐⭐ A rather comic but rambling expose on the ultimate inadequacy of War *by A***A on 4 July 2026* This book ia a rambling account of Svejk, a Czech underling who enlisted in the Austro Hungarian army in the 1st world war as the batman of a lieutenant, and his adventures while en route to the battle front. Rather in the same vein as Tom Jones i.e. the picaresque tradition of English novels. While full of hilarious and improbable incidents described tongue in cheek and sprinkled with profanities and sexual encounters,it tends to drag a bit after some time, the incidents becoming predictable and repetative. Difficult to finish at one go. The underlying anti-war values and ultimate futility of war portrayed are for all times though. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Kalfaktorns kultivering till köks *by D***S on 27 July 2025* Jaroslav Hasek är evigt okonstlat oetisk, jordnära jovial och tecknande tärande - väl värd läsning till öl på U Kalicha i Prag... --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/413445430-the-good-soldier-svejk](https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/413445430-the-good-soldier-svejk) --- *Product available on Desertcart Saudi Arabia* *Store origin: SA* *Last updated: 2026-08-14*