Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie leaving Sarajevo Town Hall on 28 June 1914, five minutes before the assassination.
The Good Soldier Švejk is a novel with an exceptionally rich cast of characters. Alongside those who play a direct part in the plot, a great many fictional and real people (and animals) are mentioned throughout the narrative, in Švejk's anecdotes and in the book's idioms and turns of phrase.
This page offers brief entries on the people referred to in the novel, from Napoléon in the introduction to Hauptmann Ságner in the final lines of the unfinished Part Four. The list is sorted in the order in which names first appear. Chapter headings follow Zenny Sadlon's recent translation (1999–2026) and, in most cases, differ from Cecil Parrott's 1973 version.
The Czech quotations are taken from the online version of The Good Soldier Švejk provided by Jaroslav Šerák and link to the relevant chapter. The toolbar provides direct links to Wikipedia, Google Maps, Google Search, svejkmuseum.cz and the novel online.
The names are colour-coded according to their role in the novel, as illustrated by the following examples:
Dr. Grünstein, a fictional character directly involved in the plot.
Fähnrich Dauerling, a fictional character who is not part of the plot.
Heinrich Heine, a historical person.
Note that many seemingly fictional characters are inspired by real people. Examples include Oberleutnant Lukáš, Major Wenzl and many others. These are still listed as fictional, since they are literary creations only partly inspired by their similarly named 'models'.
Military ranks and other titles related to Austrian officialdom are given in German, in accordance with the terms used at the time (explanations in English are provided as tooltips). This means that Captain Ságner is still referred to as Hauptmann, even though the term is now obsolete and has been replaced by Kapitän. Civilian titles denoting profession, etc., are translated into English. This also applies to ranks in the nobility where a direct translation exists.
Napoléon is mentioned 9 times in The Good Soldier Švejk.
Napoléon
has the honour of being the first person to be mentioned in The Good Soldier Švejk. He is also mentioned in [I.1], and later in the novel he appears several times.
Švejk mentions that Napoleon was five minutes late at Waterloo and his whole reputation subsequently went down the drain. This was when the train stopped before Tábor in [II.1]. At the end of this chapter, his retreat from Moscow is mentioned.
Background
Napoléon
was emperor of France from 18 May 1804 to 6 April 1814. He gradually amassed power after the French Revolution, aided by his unique military talent and many battlefield successes. He conquered and ruled over most of Western and Central Europe and held power in Egypt for a couple of years. A failed campaign in Russia in 1812 weakened his position and laid the foundations for his ultimate defeat at Waterloo in 1815.
Several battles during the Napoleonic Wars are mentioned in The Good Soldier Švejk: Leipzig, Aspern and Waterloo. Napoleon emerged victorious from the only major battle he was involved in on Czech territory. At Austerlitz (now Slavkov u Brna), Napoleon's army defeated Austrian and Russian forces on 2 December 1805. Many historians regard this battle as his greatest military achievement.
Quote(s) from the novel
[Úvod] Velká doba žádá velké lidi. Jsou nepoznaní hrdinové, skromní, bez slávy a historie Napoleona. Rozbor jejich povahy zastínil by slávu Alexandra Macedonského. Dnes můžete potkat v pražských ulicích ošumělého muže, který sám ani neví, co vlastně znamená v historii nové velké doby.
[I.1] Palivec byl známý sprosťák, každé jeho druhé slovo byla
zadnice nebo hovno. Přitom byl ale sečtělý a upozorňoval každého, aby si přečetl, co napsal o posledním předmětě Victor Hugo, když líčil poslední odpověď' staré gardy Napoleonovy Angličanům v bitvě u Waterloo.
[I.10.1] A tak slova Napoleonova "Na vojně se mění situace každým okamžikem" došla i zde svého úplného potvrzení.
[I.14.2] Každý z nich je Napoleonem: "Povídal
jsem našemu obrstovi, aby telefonoval do štábu, že už to může začít".
[II.1]Napoleon se u Waterloo vopozdil vo pět minut, a byl v hajzlu s celou svou slávou..."
[II.1] Šel sněhy silnice, ve mraze, zahalen v svůj vojenský plášť, jako poslední z gardy Napoleonovy vracející se z výpravy na Moskvu, s tím toliko rozdílem,...
[II.2] Ta napolionská, potom, jak nám vypravovávali, švédský vojny, sedmiletý vojny
[II.2] Tak se pánbůh na ně rozhněval pro tu jejich pejchu a voni zas přijdou k sobě, až budou si vařit lebedu, jako to bejvalo za napolionský vojny.
[II.3] Dělali to Švédové a Španělé za třicetileté války, Francouzi za Napoleona a teď v budějovickém kraji budou to dělat zase Madaři a nebude to spojeno s hrubým znásilňováním.
Alexander the Great
is introduced by the author as someone whose reputation Švejk surpasses!
Alexander reappears several times later in the novel, including in the author's reflections on the officer servant occupation in [I.14]. Here, it is revealed that even Alexander had his Putzfleck.
Background
Alexander the Great
was king of Macedonia. The Greek city-states had already been united by his father, Philip II of Macedon. Alexander conquered Persia, Egypt and a number of other kingdoms and reached northern India. The conquests led to a rapid expansion of Greek culture on the Eurasian continent. Thus, he played a major part in the subsequent spread of Greek culture and language.
Quote(s) from the novel
[Úvod] Velká doba žádá velké lidi. Jsou nepoznaní hrdinové, skromní, bez slávy a historie Napoleona. Rozbor jejich povahy zastínil by slávu Alexandra Macedonského. Dnes můžete potkat v pražských ulicích ošumělého muže, který sám ani neví, co vlastně znamená v historii nové velké doby.
[I.14.2] Instituce důstojnických sluhů je prastarého původu. Zdá se, že již Alexandr Macedonský měl svého pucfleka.
Švejk is mentioned 2001 times in The Good Soldier Švejk.
Švejk
is mentioned in the first paragraph of the introduction and he is obviously the main character of the novel. He was a dog dealer from Prague, who made a living by selling mongrel dogs with falsified pedigrees. Švejk was unmarried and spent much of his time in the pubs of the Bohemian capital.
Švejk was very talkative, but his intellectual capacity is still debated. It is known that he was discharged from the army for idiocy, but it is uncertain whether this was genuine or feigned. He certainly had a good memory and was well-read, which suggests that his supposed limited mental abilities may have been an act. In the epilogue to Part One, the author explicitly states that he never intended Švejk to be an imbecile, so that matter should be clear.
Politically, he appeared largely disengaged; only brief passages reveal that he was hostile to Austria and the Catholic Church, although he often claimed the opposite. Švejk was at times both deceitful and thieving, but in other instances he demonstrated moral substance, especially towards the end of the novel. He could sometimes appear detached and cynical—perhaps as a defence mechanism against the harsh environment he found himself in.
Švejk survived the war unscathed, but what happened to him at the front remains unclear, as the novel was never completed. His first name, Josef, is first mentioned in his confession at c.k. policejní ředitelství in the second chapter. Throughout the novel, the main character is mentioned more than 2,000 times in a work of just over 200,000 words.
Personal information
The author provides little biographical information about his hero, but some details can be inferred from the novel.
Very early on, the reader is told that the soldier suffers from rheumatism and made a living by trading dogs. Later, it is revealed that his father was Prokop Švejk and his mother Švejková, and the soldier appears to have been born in Dražov by Strakonice. At the outbreak of war, he must have lived near U kalicha in Prague II. Through anecdotes, we know that some years earlier he worked in Moravská Ostrava. Many years before that, he was wandering and travelled as far as Bremen. He had also once lived in Opatovická ulice. We know that he served with Oberleutnant Lukáš in Prague both before and after 20 December 1914. As a soldier, he served with Infanterieregiment Nr. 91 in Budějovice, and it was this regiment he rejoined some time after the outbreak of war, probably in early 1915. Švejk also served as a conscript in Trient (Trento), and this city is a theme that appears in all three versions of The Good Soldier Švejk (1911, 1917, 1921). That he was a soldier in Trento means that IR. 91 was not the only regiment he served with (this regiment was never garrisoned there).
The good soldier's age
At first sight it seems that Švejk's age at the outbreak of war was between 31 and 36 and he was a so-called Landsturm-mann (reservist). This can be deduced from the circumstances around the draft at Střelecký ostrov and is also in line with Jaroslav Hašek's own entry into the army. This is, however, inconsistent with what he himself says in his anecdote about supák Schreiter where it is revealed that he served in the army in late 1912. He could thus at the earliest have started his military service in 1909, and would thus have been born between 1888 and 1891, leaving him aged from 24 to 27 in 1915.
Superarbitrated soldier on manoeuvres?
As the reader of The Good Soldier Švejk would know, Švejk was years ago dismissed from the army due to idiocy, but then follows a logical short-circuit: he still took part in military exercises, and indeed many of them: in Tábor, Písek, Velké Meziříčí, Veszprém and Hořovice. His manoeuvres in South Bohemia may have been inspired by the experiences of Zdeněk Matěj Kuděj, the others rather inspired by news items picked up and memorised by the avid newspaper reader Hašek. Even Svět zvířat printed a news item about the Kaisermanövern in Velké Meziříčí in 1909 when Hašek edited the magazine. That he took part in exercises in 1910 means that he at most could have been 32 that year, so he could not have been born before 1878.
Background
The figure of Švejk is ultimately a product of the author's literary creativity, but as with several of the other characters in the plot, he clearly has real-life models. The most obvious of these is the writer himself, who lends several personal qualities and biographical details to his hero. See Jaroslav Hašek for more on this theme.
A borrowed name
The name Josef Švejk itself is almost certainly borrowed from a real person. A young man of that name is registered at the address next to U kalicha from June 1912, and may also have lived there when Jaroslav Hašek invented his good soldier in May 1911. It is quite likely that Jaroslav Hašek knew this man (or knew about him), particularly since from 1916 both served in České legie. That said, circumstances dictate that Hašek could hardly have borrowed more than his name.
Another Josef Švejk that the author surely knew about was the deputy Josef Švejk from the Agrarian Party. This person is much more likely to have lent the good soldier his name in 1911. The young Josef is, however, a good candidate for having sparked the rebirth of The Good Soldier Švejk in 1917 and not least in 1921 (it is only now that Švejk is connected to U kalicha).
Officer's servant Strašlipka
Another often-touted inspiration is František Strašlipka, the servant of OberleutnantRudolf Lukas from the outbreak of war until the former's capture on 24 September 1915. Apart from his position in the nomenclature of IR. 91, Strašlipka is also likely to have inspired Švejk's incessant story-telling.
Otherwise Švejk's and Strašlipka's biographies differ greatly. Strašlipka was the Putzfleck of Rudolf Lukas from the very start of the war and joined him in the field immediately. Švejk, for his part, was originally a Landsturm reservist and, to judge by his call-up date, he was 10 years older than Strašlipka. He was drafted several months later and did not serve only Oberleutnant Lukáš. Strašlipka was, unlike Švejk, never super-arbitrated and Švejk also served as a messenger, a role the former never had.
Zdeněk Matěj Kuděj
Last but not least, some elements from the experiences of Hašek's good friend Zdeněk Matěj Kuděj (1881 - 1955) can be recognised in The Good Soldier Švejk. This is particularly evident in Part One, where the plot is set in civilian life and few of the chapters have any obvious links to the author's own timeline during the early months of the war.
Quote(s) from the novel
[Úvod] Velká doba žádá velké lidi. Jsou nepoznaní hrdinové, skromní, bez slávy a historie Napoleona. Rozbor jejich povahy zastínil by slávu Alexandra Macedonského. Dnes můžete potkat v pražských ulicích ošumělého muže, který sám ani neví, co vlastně znamená v historii nové velké doby. Jde skromně svou cestou, neobtěžuje nikoho, a není též obtěžován žurnalisty, kteří by ho prosili o interview. Kdybyste se ho otázali, jak se jmenuje, odpověděl by vám prostince a skromně: „Já jsem Švejk…“
Credit: Radko Pytlík, Jaroslav Šerák, Jan Morávek, Jan Prchal
Artemis
is mentioned indirectly by the author through the phrase "the temple of the goddess at Ephesus". See Temple of Artemis.
Background
Artemis was a Greek goddess, daughter of Zeus and sister of Apollo. Artemis was the virgin moon goddess associated with hunting, healing, chastity, and childbirth. She was also the protector of wild animals and the wilderness, and was often revered as a goddess of fertility. Her Roman equivalent was Diana.
Her name had already appeared directly in an article by Jaroslav Hašek in Čechoslovan, but in the Roman form, Diana.
Když se zametá
A náš redaktor chtěl se dostat do dějin. Stejně jako Hérostratés, když zapálil chrám bohyně Diany, právě v tu noc, kdy se narodil Alexandr Veliký. Jenže Hérostratos měl před ním tu výhodu, že nebyl osobní.
Quote(s) from the novel
[Úvod] Mám velice rád tohoto dobrého vojáka Švejka, a podávaje jeho osudy za světové války, jsem přesvědčen, že vy všichni budete sympatizovat s tím skromným, nepoznaným hrdinou. On nezapálil chrám bohyně v Efesu, jako to udělal ten hlupák Herostrates, aby se dostal do novin a školních čítanek.
In the original edition of The Good Soldier Švejk (1921), he is called Heriostrates. The correction to Herostrates was made in the early 1950s and applied to all subsequent editions. In the manuscript held at the Museum of Literature, the sentence with his name is missing altogether. One possible explanation is that the author supplied it on a separate piece of paper that was later lost.
Herostratus
is ridiculed as the opposite of this novel's unassuming hero. Herostratus is described as the fool who set fire to the temple at Ephesus in order to get his name into newspapers and textbooks.
Background
Herostratus
(also called Herostrates) set fire to the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in 356 BC in order to become known, hence the term Herostratic fame. He was executed the same year.
Reuse of motifs
This was not the first time Jaroslav Hašek wrote about Herostratus. In a stinging article in Čechoslovan on 29 January 1917, Jaroslav Hašek uses similar imagery. The target is easy to identify, although no names are mentioned: Bohdan Pavlů, editor of the competing weekly Čechoslovák in Petrograd[b].
Sergey Soloukh (2017) also points out the parallel to the story The Price of Fame[a] from 1913. The author confuses the name with Efialtes, but he no doubt has Herostratus, Ephesus, and the temple of the goddess Artemis in mind.
Radko Pytlík made a similar observation in the afterword to a book containing a collection of Hašek's journalistic writings [c].
Hned v úvodní stati je zmínka o starověkém Efialtovi, jenž prý zapálil chrám bohyně v Efesu, aby se dostal do dějin. Totéž řecké jméno se vyskytuje za několik týdnů poté v Haškově humoresce Baluškova zrada, tentokráte ve správném významu: Efialtes byl starořecký zrádce, jenž zavedl perské vojsko do zad svých krajanů u Thermopyl. Snad někdo Haška na omyl upozornil, snad přišel na svou chybu sám. V poválečném Švejkovi se objevuje motiv hérostratovský, jenž patří k základním složkám výstavby tohoto díla a slouží k odhalení protikladných zájmů malého člověka a ctižádostivých vojevůdců; vyskytuje se již se správným označením historickým. Radko Pytlík, Zábavný a poučný koutek Jaroslava Haška, 1973
Když se zametá
A náš redaktor chtěl se dostat do dějin. Stejně jako Hérostratés, když zapálil chrám bohyně Diany, právě v tu noc, kdy se narodil Alexandr Veliký. Jenže Hérostratos měl před ním tu výhodu, že nebyl osobní.Jaroslav Hašek, Svět, 8 January 1913
Cena slavý
Ve starověku žil v Řecku muž jménem Efialtes, jehož jedinou tužbou bylo, aby se stal slavným a aby se o něm mluvilo. Aby toho dosáhl, šel a zapálil nádherný chrám bohyně Diany v Efesu, jeden ze sedmi divů světa.Jaroslav Hašek, Čechoslovan, 29 January 1917
Quote(s) from the novel
[Úvod] Mám velice rád tohoto dobrého vojáka Švejka, a podávaje jeho osudy za světové války, jsem přesvědčen, že vy všichni budete sympatizovat s tím skromným, nepoznaným hrdinou. On nezapálil chrám bohyně v Efesu, jako to udělal ten hlupák Herostrates, aby se dostal do novin a školních čítanek.
Hašek
refers to himself at least eight times in The Good Soldier Švejk. First, he signs the introduction as "the author", then he briefly appears as "I" in the narrative in [I.6] where he mentions the police archives and their records of detective Bretschneider's dog purchases. In [I.9] he uses the first person plural when introducing the garrison prison and in [I.14] he recounts his experiences with officer servants. Finally, he signs the epilogue to Part One, and for the only time he uses his full name.
Background
Hašek
was a Czech writer, journalist and satirist, best known for the unfinished satirical novel The Good Soldier Švejk. He wrote more than 1,200 short stories, six collections of short stories, was the co-author of a poetry book, and also contributed to some plays and cabarets. Jaroslav Hašek is considered a prominent satirist, and The Good Soldier Švejk, which has been translated into 54 languages[a] (59 if variations are counted)[1], is probably the most translated book ever written in Czech.
The Good Soldier Švejk to a degree mirrors the author's own experiences in k.u.k. Heer in 1915, and he also includes many autobiographical elements from other periods in his life. For more information on the connection between the novel and its author, see Jaroslav Hašek in the 'Who is Who' section.
Quote(s) from the novel
[Úvod] On nezapálil chrám bohyně v Efesu, jako to udělal ten hlupák Herostrates, aby se dostal do novin a školních čítanek. A to stačí. Autor
[I.6] Nevím, jestli ti pánové, kteří po převratu prohlíželi policejní archiv, rozšifrovali položky tajného fondu státní policie, kde stálo: B...40 K, F...50 K, L...80 K atd., ale rozhodně se mýlili, že B, F, L jsou začáteční písmena nějakých pánů, kteří za 40, 50, 80 atd. korun prodávali český národ černožlutému orlu.
[I.9] Posledním útočištěm lidí, kteří nechtěli jít do války, byl garnison. Znal jsem jednoho suplenta, který nechtěl střílet jako matematik u artilerie a kvůli tomu ukradl hodinky jednomu nadporučíkovi, aby se dostal na garnison.
[I.11.1]Pamatuji se, že nám jednou při takové polní mši nepřátelský aeroplán pustil bombu právě do polního oltáře a z polního kuráta nezbylo nic, než nějaké krvavé hadry.
[I.14.2] U 91. pluku znal jsem jich několik. Jeden pucflek dostal velkou stříbrnou proto, že uměl báječně péct husy, které kradl...
[I.14.2]Viděl jsem jednoho zajatého důstojnického sluhu, který od Dubna šel s druhými pěšky až do Dárnice za Kyjevem...
[I.14.2] Nikdy nezapomenu toho člověka, který se tak mořil s tím přes celou Ukrajinu...
[I.16] Stane-li se však slovo Švejk novou nadávkou v květnatém věnci spílání, musím se spokojit s tímto obohacením českého jazyka. Jaroslav Hašek.
The number 54 also includes translations that are partial, e.g. Latin and Irish. Not included are language variants: English(2), Spanish(3), Portuguese(2) and German(2). If these are counted the number is 59.
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