Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie leaving Sarajevo Town Hall on 28 June 1914, five minutes before the
assassination.
The Good Soldier Švejk has 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 referenced 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referred to as Hauptmann, even though the term is now obsolete and has been replaced by Kapitän.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.
Ibl is mentioned 4 times in The Good Soldier Švejk.
Ibl
was a chief field chaplain who conducted a field mass in Királyhida for three departing march battalions, one of which was Švejk's. One battalion was due for Russia, the other two for Serbia. His sermon failed to impress Švejk, who recounted the mass on the train and described it as idiocy squared.
Ibl based the sermon on a conversation between the mortally wounded Fahnenführer Hrt and Marschall Radetzky, set during the battle of Custozza in 1848. The conversation took place after the ten-hour battle had ended.
It is also revealed that Ibl travelled on to Vienna, where he repeated his sermon.
Background
The real Feldkurat in der Reserve Eybl serving field mass in Podmonasterz (ukr. Підмонасти́р) in Galicia on 28 June 1915. Around this time, his literary counterpart Feldoberkurat Ibl served his own mass for Švejk's departing march battalion in Királyhida.
Feldoberkurat Ibl was undoubtedly inspired by FeldkuratJan Eybl, a military cleric who served in Infanterieregiment Nr. 91 together with Jaroslav Hašek for most of the time from 11 July until 24 September 1915. During this period, Eybl conducted at least three field masses, which Hašek probably attended.
Nevertheless, it is likely that only the name was borrowed for the literary Ibl. Eybl's rank was the lower Feldkurat in der Reserve, and he served at the front throughout the period Hašek stayed in Királyhida (June 1915).
In his later years, Jan Eybl stated that he never held a mass like the one described in The Good Soldier Švejk. It also makes little sense that two march battalions went to Serbia when Švejk was in Királyhida. During spring and summer 1915, k.u.k. Heer no longer had troops on Serbian soil, as the fighting there ended before Christmas 1914. It was only in October 1915 that activity resumed on the Balkans front. Thus, all march battalions trained in Királyhida were destined for Russia.
The character in the novel may therefore have been partly inspired by another cleric, probably someone from k.u.k. Feldsuperioriat or the garrison in Vienna. Such clerics had duties in the area around the capital, and after Jan Eybl himself was attached to the superioriat in July 1918, he held masses in Bruck. It is also worth noting that Ibl returned to Vienna after completing his duties in Bruck, suggesting he was stationed there and did not belong to IR. 91 or the garrison in Bruck-Királyhida.
Soldatenfreund 1915
Der Soldatenfreund. 1915 Kalender
The content of Ibl's field mass was, according to Hašek, taken from a military calendar, and this is undoubtedly true. Most of the content of the sermon is from the Der Soldatenfreund calendar from 1915, pages 72 and 73.
The story is called Gott Erhalte! and is told by An Old Officer. It also contains an illustration from the battle field that depicts the dying Fahnenführer Hrt talking to Marschall Radetzky.
See Kriegskalender for more on use of motifs from military calendars in The Good Soldier Švejk.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] A tak se objevil místo gulášových konzerv vrchní polní kurát Ibl, který zabil tří mouchy jednou ranou. Odsloužil polní mši najednou pro tři pochodové prapory, dvěma z nich požehnal do Srbska a jednomu do Ruska.
[III.1] A týž den vrchní polní kurát Ibl byl již ve Vídni a opět tam jinému maršbataliónu vykládal dojemnou historii, o které se Švejk zmiňoval a která se mu tolik líbila, že ji nazval blbostí na kvadrát.
[III.1] „Milí vojáci,“ řečnil vrchní polní kurát Ibl, „tak tedy si myslete, že je rok osmačtyřicátý a že vítězstvím skončila bitva u Custozzy, kde po desetihodinovém úporném boji musil italský král Albert přenechati krvavé bojiště našemu otci vojínů, maršálkovi Radeckému, jenž v 84. roce svého života dobyl tak skvělého vítězství.
[III.1] Vzpomínaje na tuto řeč vrchního polního kuráta Ibla, mohl ho opravdu nazvati Švejk, aniž by mu v nejmenším ubližoval, blbem na kvadrát.
Carlo Alberto
is mentioned by Feldoberkurat Ibl in the field mass he conducted for the departing march battalion in Királyhida.
Background
Carlo Alberto
(full name Carlo Alberto Emanuele Vittorio Maria Clemente Saverio di Savoia-Carignano) was King of Sardinia and Piedmont from 1831 to 1849, and the adversary of Austria's Marschall Radetzky at the battle of Custozza in 1848.
Soldatenfreund 1915
Der Soldatenfreund. 1915 Kalender
The content of Feldoberkurat Ibl's field mass was, according to Hašek, taken from a military calendar, and this is undoubtedly true. Most of the content of the sermon is from the Der Soldatenfreund calendar from 1915, pages 72 and 73.
The story is called Gott Erhalte! and is told by An Old Officer. It also contains an illustration from the battle field that depicts the dying Fahnenführer Hrt talking to Marschall Radetzky.
See Kriegskalender for more on use of motifs from military calendars in The Good Soldier Švejk.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Milí vojáci,“ řečnil vrchní polní kurát Ibl, „tak tedy si myslete, že je rok osmačtyřicátý a že vítězstvím skončila bitva u Custozzy, kde po desetihodinovém úporném boji musil italský král Albert přenechati krvavé bojiště našemu otci vojínů, maršálkovi Radeckému, jenž v 84. roce svého života dobyl tak skvělého vítězství.
Hrt
was a standard-bearer featured in Feldoberkurat Ibl's field mass, a mortally wounded hero at the Battle of Custozza. He had taken part in battles as early as the Napoleonic Wars at Aspern and Leipzig. The author indicates that Ibl's speech sounds as if it was taken from a Kriegskalender. Švejk is unusually forthright in his verdict; he refers to the field mass as "idiocy squared".
Background
It has so far not been possible to confirm whether Hrt was a real person. In any case, it was not a name created by Hašek as the story is undoubtedly taken from a military calendar, year 1915. In the German edition of the calendar, his name is Veit, another indication that it may be fictional.
Soldatenfreund 1915
Der Soldatenfreund. 1915 Kalender
The content of Feldoberkurat Ibl's field mass was, according to Hašek, taken from a military calendar, and this is undoubtedly true. Most of the content of the sermon is from the Der Soldatenfreund calendar from 1915, pages 72 and 73.
The story is called Gott Erhalte! and is told by An Old Officer. It also contains an illustration from the battle field that depicts the dying Hrt talking to Marschall Radetzky.
See Kriegskalender for more on use of motifs from military calendars in The Good Soldier Švejk.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] S roztříštěnými údy na poli cti pociťoval zraněný praporečník Hrt, jak na něho hledí maršálek Radecký. Hodný zraněný praporečník ještě svíral v tuhnoucí pravici zlatou medalii v křečovitém nadšení.
News about the confiscation of flyers claimed to be Joseph Ferdinand's and Friedrich's army orders.
Ohlas od Nežárky,18.8.1915
Joseph Ferdinand
is mentioned in connection with Švejk's march battalion, when two army orders were read aloud before they boarded the train to the front. The orders were prompted by an incident in which two battalions from Infanterieregiment Nr. 28 crossed over to the Russians at Dukla on 3 April 1915. The mass defection included the officers and took place to the music of the regimental band.
The first order was signed by Emperor Franz Joseph I on 17 April 1915. It stated that the regiment was dissolved for all time and the standard transferred to the WarMuseum in Vienna. The second order was signed by Joseph Ferdinand, but was undated. It referred more generally to unreliable Czech troops, was threatening in tone, and was to be read aloud to all Czech regiments. This order also stated that Infanterieregiment Nr. 28 was dissolved.
Background
Joseph Ferdinand
was an Archduke of the House of House of Habsburg (the Tuscan branch) and a military commander. In 1915 he was commander-in-chief of the 4th Army but was replaced due to the disastrous losses during the Brusilov Offensive in 1916. After the war, he continued to live in Austria but had to renounce his noble title. He was arrested by the Nazis in 1938 and spent a short time in Dachau.
Joseph Ferdinand's army order
The Army order reproduced in The Good Soldier Švejk is nearly identical to one that was printed in the Czech exile press during the war[d]. Roughly the same wording also appears in an interpellation by German nationalist deputies in the Reichsrat[b]. These two are the only copies known to have been printed during the war, but after 1918 several more followed. In Vienna's Kriegsarchiv, several versions of it can be found, also in Hungarian. From the correspondence between AOK, Kriegsministerium and Kriegsüberwachungsamt, it transpires that the military authorities suspected it was a forgery and were uncertain about its origin.
Leaflets
Due to wartime censorship, the text was not published in newspapers or made public at all. Evidence of the order's existence is found in a statement from the district court in Liberec, dated 2 August 1915. A non-periodical print titled "Armeebefehl des Erzherzog Josef Ferdinand", without information about publisher, printer or place of publication, was to be confiscated[a]. The same verdict was announced by other courts in Bohemia.
In the Czech exile press
Later in the autumn, a complete text was printed in the Czech exile press, with additional commentary[d]. The text was allegedly distributed in large quantities as leaflets by post in BohemiaN and Vienna, and was supposedly a forgery intended to discredit the Czech nation. The originator was said to be a skirt-maker from Ústí nad Labem who was duly arrested and imprisoned in Terezín. The order is dated 12 July 1915 and concerns Infanterieregiment Nr. 18, Infanterieregiment Nr. 21 and Infanterieregiment Nr. 36.
Kriegsministerium
A letter from Kriegsministerium dated 27 October 1915 reveals more about the origin of the order. Such an order had indeed been issued by a higher army commander whose name is not mentioned. It was concluded that further legal actions to stop the spread of the leaflets would be suspended because the contents of the order "quite accurately reflected the actual state of affairs". The ministry also concluded that the last four paragraphs of the text on the leaflets had been added to the original order.
Parliament, 1917
According to the protocols from the Reichsrat on 5 December 1917, Joseph Ferdinand's Armeebefehl was numbered 4049 and dated 15 June 1915. It concerned Infanterieregiment Nr. 21 from Čáslav, Infanterieregiment Nr. 36 from Mladá Boleslav, k.k. Landwehrinfanterieregiment Nr. 12 from Čáslav and k.k. Landwehrinfanterieregiment Nr. 8 from Prague[b]. IR. 36 in particular was regarded as unreliable and during the battle at Sienawa on 27 May 1915, more than 1,000 soldiers from the regiment were captured despite being well entrenched. The regiment was, on 16 July 1915, temporarily dissolved by imperial decree and, unlike Infanterieregiment Nr. 28, was never reconstituted.
Later versions
After the war, the text appeared in various papers with more or less the same content. There are, however, inconsistencies in that the dates of issue rarely correspond and the regiments addressed were not always the same. In one Austrian newspaper, it was even claimed that it was Archduke Friedrich who issued the order[e].
General Matuschka
In 1919, the two "army orders" known from The Good Soldier Švejk appeared in a Vienna newspaper. Here, Joseph Ferdinand is not mentioned at all. According to the newspaper's source, an unnamed high-ranking officer, the order was issued on 27 June 1915 by Militärkommando Krakau, which at the time had relocated to Moravská Ostrava. The order carried Reservatnummer 5654 and the content was very similar to Hašek's version. In addition, it was decreed that Sokol associations should be kept under special observation. The order was signed by General Matuschka[c].
General Ludwig Matuschka (1859-1942) was, in 1914, the commander of 1. Armeekorps, a unit based in Kraków but moved to Ostrava in 1914 due to the critical situation at the front. He was known for his hard-line stance towards those he regarded as traitors. He signed death sentences for civilians as early as the end of 1914, with editor Kotek among the first victims of the general's reign of terror. At the end of 1915, he was suspended because he sent a unit of ill soldiers to the front. After the war, he applied for admission to the Czechoslovak army, but this was understandably rejected.
Faked or authentic?
The diverging dates and signatures suggest that at least part of the alleged army order was faked. It is also worthwhile to analyse the language. In the first part, the tone is matter-of-fact and bureaucratic, a sober description of the state of affairs during the spring of 1915. The last part, however, is emotional and threatening, a stark contrast to the first part. This fits well with the above-mentioned information from Kriegsministerium in 1915 that the last four paragraphs were not part of the original order. Therefore, the text as reproduced in The Good Soldier Švejk and other printed material seems to be a distorted Armeebefehl, a parallel to the related order from Emperor Franz Joseph I regarding Infanterieregiment Nr. 28. There is little doubt that some order along these lines was given, but by whom? Unlike the order to dissolve IR. 28, the original document has not been identified. Nor is it known who signed the order. Was it Joseph Ferdinand, Ludwig Matuschka or Archduke Friedrich?
In Hašek's word
Hašek's reproduction of both army orders is quite close to the text of the leaflets as quoted by the Czech exile press, but it is not true that they concerned Infanterieregiment Nr. 28 or that Joseph Ferdinand was the head of the "Eastern Army". He commanded 4. Armee, a unit that held a front section in Galicia and Russian Poland in the summer of 1915.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Potom Švejk počal mluvit o známých rozkazech, které jim byly přečteny před vstoupením do vlaku. Jeden byl armádní rozkaz podepsaný Františkem Josefem a druhý byl rozkaz arcivévody Josefa Ferdinanda, vrchního velitele východní armády a skupiny, kteréž oba týkaly se událostí na Dukelském průsmyku dne 3. dubna 1915, kdy přešly dva bataliony 28. pluku i s důstojníky k Rusům za zvuků plukovní kapely.
České trupy během polního tažení zklamaly, zejména v posledních bojích. Zejména zklamaly při obraně posic, ve kterých se nalézaly po delší dobu v zákopech, čehož použil často nepřítel, aby navázal styky a spojení s ničemnými živly těchto trup.
Obyčejně vždy směřovaly pak útoky nepřítele, podporovaného těmito zrádci, proti těm oddílům na frontě, které byly od takových trup obsazeny.
Často podařilo se nepříteli překvapit naše části a takřka bez odporu proniknout do našich posic a zajmouti značný, velký počet obránců.
Tisíckrát hanba, potupa i opovržení těmto bídákům bezectným, kteří dopustili se zrady císaře i říše a poskvrňují nejen čest slavných praporů naší slavné a statečné armády, nýbrž i čest té národnosti, ku které se hlásí.
Dřív nebo později zastihne je kulka nebo provaz kata.
Povinností každého jednotlivého českého vojáka, který má čest v těle, je, aby označil svému komandantovi takového ničemu, štváče a zrádce.
Kdo tak neučiní, je sám takový zrádce a ničema.
Tento rozkaz nechť je přečten všemu mužstvu u českých pluků.
C. k. pluk čís. 28 nařízením našeho mocnáře jest již vyškrtnut z armády a všichni zajatí přeběhlíci z pluku splatí svou krví těžkou vinu.
[III.1] Na druhé straně vagonu proti Vaňkovi seděl kuchař okultista z důstojnické mináže a cosi psal. Za ním seděli sluha nadporučíka Lukáše vousatý obr Baloun a telefonista přidělený k 11. marškumpačce, Chodounský. Baloun přežvykoval kus komisárku a vykládal uděšeně telefonistovi Chodounskému, že za to nemůže, když v té tlačenici při nastupování do vlaku nemohl se dostat do štábního vagonu ku svému nadporučíkovi.
Matějka
was a kaprál who overindulged in food on the way to the front in Serbia, according to telephone operator Chodounský. This was at the very beginning of the war when food was plentiful and enthusiasm for the war was high. It happened on the way through Hungary down to the Balkans front by the river Drina.
Background
In Infanterieregiment Nr. 91 many Matějkas served during the war. In the Verlustliste there is actually a Korporal Matějka. His first name was Adolf and he was from Výškovice (now part of Vimperk), okresPrachatice. He entered military service in 1904, which indicates that he was born in 1883 like Jaroslav Hašek. The two were even taken prisoner together at Khorupan24 September 1915[a]. Two more Matějkas from the regiment were captured the same day.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Po všech tratích jsme nic jiného nedělali, než blili z vagonů. Kaprál Matějka v našem vagoně se tak přecpal, že jsme museli dát mu přes břicho prkno a skákat po něm, jako když se šlape zelí, a to mu teprve ulevilo a šlo to z něho horem dolem. Když jsme jeli přes Uhry, tak nám házeli do vagonů na každé stanici pečené slepice.
Macek
was a senior lieutenant who was killed early in the war on the Serbian front. It is telephone operator Chodounský who tells this story on the train before Moson. He also added that Macek spoke only German despite being Czech.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Přijel z druhého konce batalionskomandant a svolal všechny na poradu, a potom přišel náš obrlajtnant Macek, Čech jako poleno, ale mluvil jen německy, a povídá, bledý jako křída, že se dál nemůže ject, trať že je vyhozena do povětří v noci, Srbové že se dostali přes řeku a jsou nyní na levém křídle.
Jurajdová
was the wife of the occultist cook Jurajda and she was now publishing a theosophical magazine. She is mentioned when her husband writes her a letter, ingeniously composed to pass censorship. Jurajda uses the name Helenka, a diminutive of Helena.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Věř mně, drahá Helenko, že se opravdu snažím co nejvíce zpříjemnit našim pánům důstojníkům jich starosti a námahy. Byl jsem od pluku přeložen k maršbatalionu, což bylo mým nejvroucnějším přáním, abych mohl, byt’ i ze skromných prostředků, důstojnickou polní kuchyni na frontě uvésti v nejlepší koleje.
Herold
was a university professor with whom Švejk had played mariáš (mariáge) at U Valšů before the war (mentioned in an anecdote).
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Já konečně povídám: ,Pane Herolde, jsou tak laskav, hrajou durcha a neblbnou.’ Ale von se na mne utrh, že může hrát, co chce, abychom drželi hubu, von že má universitu. Ale to mu přišlo draze. Hostinský byl známej, číšnice byla s námi až moc důvěrná, tak jsme to tý patrole všechno vysvětlili, že je všechno v pořádku.
Chodounský
was the owner of the detective bureau where detective Stendler was employed.
Background
Chodounský
was also in real life the owner of a detective agency in Prague. His firm is listed in the address book for 1910. In the anecdote he is only mentioned by his surname.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Není ten Chodounský, co má soukromej detektivní ústav s tím vokem jako trojice boží, váš příbuznej?“ otázal se nevinně Švejk. „Já mám moc rád soukromý detektivy. Já jsem taky jednou sloužil před léty na vojně s jedním soukromýrn detektivem, s nějakým Stendlerem.
Stendler
was a man Švejk knew from his military service, with a cone-shaped skull, employed by detective Chodounský.
Background
Stendler may have been inspired by a real person. The bureau of detective Chodounský existed, so any "model" for the Stendler figure may be found among his employees.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Není ten Chodounský, co má soukromej detektivní ústav s tím vokem jako trojice boží, váš příbuznej?“ otázal se nevinně Švejk. „Já mám moc rád soukromý detektivy. Já jsem taky jednou sloužil před léty na vojně s jedním soukromýrn detektivem, s nějakým Stendlerem.
[III.1] A vona se otočila zády ke mně a bylo vidět na kůži, že má vobtisknutej celej vzorek toho mřížkování z koberce a na páteři jednu přilepenou hilznu z cigarety. »Vodpuste,« povídám, »pane Zemku, já jsem soukromej detektiv Stendler, vod Chodounskýho, a mám ouřední povinnost vás najít in flagranti na základě oznámení vaší paní manželky.
[III.1] »Vodpuste,« povídám, »pane Zemku, já jsem soukromej detektiv Stendler, vod Chodounskýho, a mám ouřední povinnost vás najít in flagranti na základě oznámení vaší paní manželky. Tato dáma, s kterou zde udržujete nedovolený poměr, jest paní Grotová. Nikdy jsem v životě neviděl takovýho klidnýho občana.
[III.1] ,A přitom jsem se,’ vyprávěl pan Stendler, ,pomalu začal vodstrojovat, a když už jsem byl vodstrojenej a celej zmámenej a divokej jako jelen v říji, vešel do pokoje můj dobrej známej Stach, taky soukromej detektiv, z našeho konkurenčního ústavu pana Sterna, kam se vobrátil pan Grot o pomoc, co se týká jeho paní, která prý má nějakou známost, a víc neřek než: »Aha, pan Stendler je in flagranti s paní Grotovou, gratuluji.
Stern
was the owner of the detective bureau where detective Stach worked, and was entrusted by Mr. Grot to spy on his wife.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] ,A přitom jsem se,’ vyprávěl pan Stendler, ,pomalu začal vodstrojovat, a když už jsem byl vodstrojenej a celej zmámenej a divokej jako jelen v říji, vešel do pokoje můj dobrej známej Stach, taky soukromej detektiv, z našeho konkurenčního ústavu pana Sterna, kam se vobrátil pan Grot o pomoc, co se týká jeho paní, která prý má nějakou známost, a víc neřek než: »Aha, pan Stendler je in flagranti s paní Grotovou, gratuluji.
Grot
had commissioned Mr. Stern and his agency to spy on his wife. The practical task was given to detective Stach, who caught Grotová and detective Stendler with their trousers down.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] ,A přitom jsem se,’ vyprávěl pan Stendler, ,pomalu začal vodstrojovat, a když už jsem byl vodstrojenej a celej zmámenej a divokej jako jelen v říji, vešel do pokoje můj dobrej známej Stach, taky soukromej detektiv, z našeho konkurenčního ústavu pana Sterna, kam se vobrátil pan Grot o pomoc, co se týká jeho paní, která prý má nějakou známost, a víc neřek než: »Aha, pan Stendler je in flagranti s paní Grotovou, gratuluji.
Ludwig Ganghofer is mentioned 11 times in The Good Soldier Švejk.
Ludwig Ganghofer
is made a pivotal figure in the staff carriage of the train between Moson and Győr through his novel Die Sünden der Väter, which is used as the key in Hauptmann Ságner's cipher system. The problem is simply that it is in two parts, and the officers have been given the first part instead of the intended second part. It is Kadett Biegler who discovers the mistake and embarrasses Ságner in front of his fellow officers. How it all happened is revealed in the conversation between Oberleutnant Lukáš and Švejk at the station in Győr.
The author states that it was a small book, a short story in two parts. It was indeed in two parts but it was a novel rather than a short story. Hauptmann Ságner also adds that "he doesn't write badly this Ganghofer", an opinion that no doubt reflects the author's own.
Background
Ludwig Ganghofer
was a Bavarian writer who in his time was very popular, and many of his novels were made into films. He was one of the favourite poets of Emperor Wilhelm II and a personal friend of the emperor.
The Sins of the Fathers
Die Sünden der Väter (The sins of the fathers) (Adolf Bonz & Comp., Stuttgart, 1886) is one of the Ganghofer's lesser known novels. Previous to its publication it had appeared as a continuation in Neue Freie Presse from 5 August 1885. At the time the author lived in Vienna where he was dramatist at Ringtheater, and contributed to a couple of newspapers. Whereas most of Ganghofer's popular work was inspired and set in the Alpine surroundings of his home area, Die Sünden der Väter is an exception. It takes place in refined city surroundings, in Munich and Berlin. The setting is a theatre environment.
Měšťan's research
The only researcher who (to our knowledge) has succeeded in pinpointing the fragments that Hašek reproduces in The Good Soldier Švejk is Antonín Měšťan. Referring to an edition of Ganghofer's Gesammelte Werke from 1911 he identified the text passages that are mentioned in The Good Soldier Švejk. They are indeed on page 161 of the first volume, but not seen in the second. Měšťan thus concludes that Hašek only had the first volume at hand when he wrote this sequence[a]. That was stiil enough to identify the figures Marta and Albert.
War correspondent
Lesser known is his work as war reporter from 1915 to 1917. Although he exposed the horrors of war, his perspective is different from writers like Erich Maria Remarque and Jaroslav Hašek. He was a chauvinist who expressed pleasure when the destruction hit anywhere but his home country. Ganghofer also produced propaganda and slogans.
Die Front im Osten describes the early stages of the Gorlice-Tarnów offensive that Hašek later took part in. He includes a piece on the recapture of Przemyśl and a stay in Sambor in early June 1915 where he met k.u.k Stabsoffiziere[a]. In the autumn of 1915 he was severely wounded, was decorated with the Eiserne Kreuz but carried on as a war correspondent until 1917. His political opinions were nationalistic and anti-democratic.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Ve štábním vagoně, kde seděli důstojníci pochodového praporu, panovalo ze začátku jízdy podivné ticho. Většina důstojníků byla zahloubána do malé knihy v plátěné vazbě s nadpisem „Die Sünden der Väter. Novelle von Ludwig Ganghofer“ a všichni byli současně zabráni do čtení stránky 161. Hejtman Ságner, batalionní velitel, stál u okna, v ruce držel tutéž knížku, maje ji taktéž otevřenu na stránce 161.
Credit: Antonín Měšťan, Milan Hodík, Neue Freie Presse
Marta
is a character in Die Sünden der Väter by Ludwig Ganghofer, appearing on page 161 of the second volume. Hauptmann Ságner refers to her as 'some Marta', who stepped up to a desk, pulled a script for a role out of a drawer, and thought aloud that the audience ought to feel sympathy for the hero of the role.
Background
Martha Kronek was one of the main characters in the novel Die Sünden der Väter by Ludwig Ganghofer. She was an actress at Stadttheater in Munich. She is introduced after only a few pages and is described as young and beautiful. Her mother also appears in the plot[a].
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Pánové,“ řekl se strašně tajuplným výrazem, „nezapomeňte nikdy na stránku 161!“ Zahloubáni do té stránky, nemohli si z toho ničeho vybrat. Že nějaká Marta, na té stránce, přistoupila k psacímu stolu a vytáhla odtud nějakou roli a uvažovala hlasitě, že obecenstvo musí cítit soustrast s hrdinou role.
Credit: Antonín Měšťan, Milan Hodík, Neue Freie Presse
Albert
is a character from the novel Die Sünden der Väter by Ludwig Ganghofer, mentioned on page 161 of the second volume, like Marta. Hauptmann Ságner refers to him as "some Albert".
Background
Albert (first name Richard) was the main protagonist of Die Sünden der Väter and is introduced at the very beginning. In the serial version of the novel in Neue Freie Presse, he appears in the first part, dated 5 August 1885. He lives in Berlin, but is from Bavaria, just like the novel's narrator. It is clear from the outset that he is well-off[a].
In order to verify whether Albert is actually mentioned on page 161 of the second part, one would have to determine which edition Hašek referred to, and so far this information is not available.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Potom se ještě objevil na té stránce nějaký Albert, který neustále se snažil mluvit žertovně,což vytrženo z neznámého děje, který před tím předcházel, zdálo se takovou hovadinou, že nadporučík Lukáš překousl vzteky špičku na cigarety.
Credit: Antonín Měšťan, Milan Hodík, Neue Freie Presse
Bügler von Leuthold
was the noble name Kadett Biegler boasted that his ancestors used.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Šel dobrovolně na vojnu a vykládal hned při první příležitosti veliteli školy jednoročních dobrovolníků, když se seznamoval s domácími poměry žáků, že jeho předkové se psali původně Büglerové z Leutholdů a že měli v erbu čapí křídlo s rybím ocasem.
Albrecht
(his name) is murmured by Kadett Biegler when he hears about the ciphering-system based on the novel by Ludwig Ganghofer. Here he is indirectly referred to by "Archduke Albrecht's system".
Background
Albrecht
was an Austrian archduke of the house of House of Habsburg, field marshal and inspector general of the Austro-Hungarian army. His father was Archduke Karl who led the Austrian forces against Napoléon at Aspern in 1809.
It is, however, unlikely that this is the Albrecht that Kadett Biegler was mumbling about. Although a prominent military leader, there is no indication that he had any detailed knowledge of cryptography.
Alberti
Sergey Soloukh suggests that the person in question could be the Italian philosopher Leon Battista Alberti (1404 - 1472). He introduced a polyalphabetic encryption system, although this was long before Gronveld (see Bronckhorst-Gronsveld). The chronology in Kadett Biegler's account is therefore incorrect, but otherwise the hypothesis seems sound.
Alberti is a prominent name in the history of cryptography and is often called "the father of Western cryptography". It is therefore highly probable that Kadett Biegler got the names mixed up and actually meant "Alberti's system".
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Erzherzogs Albrecht system,“ zamumlal pro sebe snaživý kadet Biegler, „8922 = R, převzatý z methody Gronfelda.“ „Nový systém jest velice jednoduchý,“ zněl vagonem hlas hejtmanův. „Osobně obdržel jsem od pana plukovníka druhou knihu i informace.
Bronckhorst-Gronsveld
(i.e. his name, indirectly by the Gronsveld method) is mumbled by Kadett Biegler when he hears about the cipher system based on the novel Die Sünden der Väter by Ludwig Ganghofer.
Background
Bronckhorst-Gronsveld
was a Dutch count and Bavarian commander who is said to have invented the Gronsveld method for ciphering, or more precisely: the polyalphabetic method of encryption. According to some sources, the invention was made by his son Johann Franz.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Erzherzogs Albrechtsystem,“ zamumlal pro sebe snaživý kadet Biegler, „8922 = R, převzatý z methody Gronfelda.“ „Nový systém jest velice jednoduchý,“ zněl vagonem hlas hejtmanův. „Osobně obdržel jsem od pana plukovníka druhou knihu i informace.
Dub is mentioned 237 times in The Good Soldier Švejk.
Dub
was a Czech reserve lieutenant and the biggest fool in the entire novel, disliked by officers and the rank and file alike. From around 23 May 1915 onwards he became Švejk's chief adversary but was no match for the cunning soldier. Dub had entered the plot earlier when Kadett Biegler revealed the gaffe about the Ludwig Ganghofer books, but he is only introduced as Švejk's main enemy in Budapest, after Biegler was forced to abandon that role due to his soiled trousers and the resulting "cholera".
Dub was a schoolmaster in civilian life and a keen monarchist, which made him a natural target for the author's scorn. Švejk repeatedly clashed with him, but in the end had to come to his aid by dragging him out of the brothel in Sanok that Dub was "inspecting".
Dub is part of the story all the way to the end and suffers the ultimate indignity when he is thoroughly put in his place by Kadett Biegler as they approach Żółtańce. Dub lived at Královská 18 in Smíchov. In the final section of Švejk, at the vicarage in Klimontów, Dub has the honour of uttering the final lines of the book, as idiotic as ever.
Background
Attempts to find a "model" for Dub have not yielded any conclusive results. Most of the classical literature about Hašek is content to mention reserve lieutenant Emanuél Michálek, who was suggested as a model by Jan Morávek as early as 1924. Michálek is said to have used the phrase: "You don't know me, but...". He and the author served in 11. Kompanie for six weeks in 1915 and were allegedly at odds. That said, only the rank and this famous threatening phrase seem to link the literary figure to Michálek.
More convincing than the story by Jan Morávek is the thorough and well-documented study by Karel Dub[a]. He concludes that the person who best fits the description of the literary lieutenant is Johann Hutzler, and that the name Dub was probably borrowed from someone whom Hašek knew from before the war or from České legie (19 persons carrying the surname Dub are listed in the database of the Legions, 12 of these in Russia). See Emanuél Michálek for more on Hutzler.
Robert Dub
Jan Eybl in his old age told journalists that he had served with a regimental doctor Dub who also knew Hašek. The main reason to be sceptical of this story is that the doctor, according to official military records, only joined the company after Hašek was captured! Otherwise, almost every detail that Eybl provided has been verified.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Kadet Biegler se mezitím díval vítězně po všech a poručík Dub pošeptal nadporučíkovi Lukášovi, že to ,Čapí křídlo s rybím ocasem’ zjelo Ságnera jaksepatří.
[III.2]Poručík Dub podíval se rozzlobeně do bezstarostného obličeje dobrého vojáka Švejka a otázal se ho zlostně: „Znáte mne?“ „Znám vás, pane lajtnant.“ Poručík Dub zakoulel očima a zadupal: „Já vám povídám, že mě ještě neznáte.“ Švejk odpověděl opět s tím bezstarostným klidem, jako když hlásí raport: „Znám vás, pane lajtnant, jste, poslušně hlásím, od našeho maršbatalionu.“ „Vy mě ještě neznáte,“ křičel poznovu poručík Dub, „vy mne znáte možná s té dobré stránky, ale až mne poznáte s té špatné stránky. Já jsem zlý, nemyslete si, já každého přinutím až k pláči. Tak znáte mne, nebo mne neznáte?“ „Znám, pane lajtnant.“ „Já vám naposled říkám, že mne neznáte, vy osle. Máte nějaké bratry?“
Kerckhoffs
(full name Jean-Guillaume Hubert Victor François Alexandre Auguste Kerckhoffs van Nieuwenhoff) was a Dutch cryptographer and linguist, one of the founders of military cryptography.
In January and February 1883 he published his best known work on cryptography, La cryptographie militaire, an article that appeared in two parts in Journal des sciences militaires. It was regarded as one of the milestones of 19th century cryptography. Here he mentions both Fleissner and Kircher.
Kadett Biegler is however wrong when he informs Hauptmann Ságner that this was a book. It was in fact a paper presented in two parts in the abovementioned periodical
Auguste Kerckhoffs, La cryptographie militaire, 1883
Le colonel Fleissner (Handbuch der Kryptographie) a adopté, sans modification aucune, la méthode de déchiffrement du major Kasiski.
Le Père Kircher (Polygraphia nova et universalis ; Rome, 1663) a remplacé les lettres du tableau de Vigenère par des nombres, d’où le nom d’Abacus numeralis donné à son système.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Dovoluji si,“ řekl, „pane hejtmane, upozorniti na knihu Kerickhoffovu o vojenském šifrování. Knihu tu může si každý objednat ve vydavatelstvu ,Vojenského naučného slovníku’. Jest tam důkladně popsána, pane hejtmane, methoda, o které jste nám vypravoval.
Kircher
was, according to Kadett Biegler, a colonel who had served in the Saxon army under Napoléon, mentioned by Biegler as the inventor of the method which was described in Kerckhoffs' book, and which in May 1915 appeared on a military train between Moson and Győr.
Background
Kircher
surely does not refer to a colonel in the Saxon army, but rather the German scientist, universal genius and Jesuit father who is mentioned by Kerckhoffs in his paper La Cryptographie Militaire from 1883. His work, Polygraphia nova et universalis, 1663, is considered a principal work in cryptography.
He had an enormous range of interests: Egyptology, Sinology, Bible studies, geology, mathematics, medicine, astronomy, acoustics, bacteriology, to name but a few. He was also a practical inventor.
Auguste Kerckhoffs, La cryptographie militaire, 1883
Le Père Kircher (Polygraphia nova et universalis ; Rome, 1663) a remplacé les lettres du tableau de Vigenère par des nombres, d’où le nom d’Abacus numeralis donné à son système. Seulement, au lieu d’écrire le texte cryptographique de la façon ordinaire, Kircher prend une page d’écriture quelconque, et indique les nombres du cryptogramme par des points placés sous les lettres, à des intervalles correspondant à la valeur des nombres obtenus. Schott a commenté le système du Père Kircher dans sa Schola stenographica ; de là que beaucoup d’auteurs, Larousse entre autres, lui en ont attribué la paternité.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Vynálezcem jejím je plukovník Kircher, sloužící za Napoleona I. ve vojsku saském. Kircherovo šifrování slovy, pane hejtmane. Každé slovo depeše se vykládá na protější stránce klíče.
Fleissner
was a senior lieutenant who, according to Kadett Biegler, improved the method invented by Kircher. He is said to have used Die Sünden der Väter by Ludwig Ganghofer as an example in his book.
Background
Fleissner
was in real life an Austrian colonel who in 1881 published Handbuch der Kryptographie. As Fleissner published the book five years before Die Sünden der Väter by Ludwig Ganghofer, the facts given by Kadett Biegler are dubious, although all the names he mentions have some connection with cryptography. His book is briefly mentioned in the well-known essay by Kerckhoffs from 1883.
Fleissner had entered world literature even while still alive. He is mentioned in the novel Mathias Sandorf by Jules Verne as early as 1885.
Auguste Kerckhoffs, "La cryptographie militaire", 1883
Le colonel Fleissner (Handbuch der Kryptographie) a adopté, sans modification aucune, la méthode de déchiffrement du major Kasiski.
Jules Verne, "Mathias Sandorf", 1885
Ces grilles, d’un si vieil usage, maintenant très perfectionnées d’après le système du colonel Fleissner, paraissent encore être le meilleur procédé et le plus sur, quand il s’agit d’obtenir un cryptogramme indéchiffrable.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Kircherovo šifrování slovy, pane hejtmane. Každé slovo depeše se vykládá na protější stránce klíče. Methoda ta zdokonalena nadporučíkem Fleissnerem v knize ,Handbuch der militärischen Kryptographie’, kterou si každý může koupit v nakladatelství vojenské akademie ve Víd. Novém Městě. Prosím, pane hejtmane.“
Ronovský
is mentioned when Offiziersdiener Baloun, just after arriving in Győr, is so hungry that he shows signs of rebellion, and Švejk finds it appropriate to put things in perspective by telling yet another story.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Ty máš nějakýho mladýho dědečka,“ řekl přívětivě, když dojeli do Rábu, „kerej se dovede pamatovat jen na tu vojnu v 66. roce. To já znám nějakýho Ronovskýho a ten měl dědečka, kerej byl v Italii ještě za roboty a sloužil tam svejch dvanáct let a domů přišel jako kaprál.
Róža Šavaňů
is mentioned by Švejk when he tries to explain to Oberleutnant Lukáš how pointless it would be to start reading a book from the second volume. As an example, he said that he once read a blood-soaked adventure book in two parts about Róža Šavaňů from the Bakony forest.
Background
Róža Šavaňů
seems to refer to the Hungarian robber chief József Savanyú who terrorised the area around Bakony from around 1875 until 1884. Jaroslav Hašek also writes about Savanyú in the short story From the Old Prison in Ilava and in this story he is the main character[a].
József Savanyú
József "Jóska" Savanyú was the son of a shepherd and, together with his brother, he led an armed gang of robbers who were known for their ruthlessness and brutality. In connection with a church celebration on 29 June 1879 there was a shoot-out between the gang and the local police. His brother Istvan was killed, but Jóska had a narrow escape. This incident appeared in the newspapers, also in the Austrian part of the Dual Monarchy. On 31 August 1881 he committed a murder and in April 1882 a wanted poster was issued, and there was also an announcement in the newspapers.
On 4 May 1884 he was finally arrested after having been caught in his sleep. The court case was held in Szombathely in 1886 and the verdict was given on 17 May. The gang leader was given life imprisonment and most of his accomplices were given long prison sentences. There were 200 witnesses called for the case. An appeal was lodged; first the main accused was handed a death sentence, but on 2 March 1887 the verdict was reverted to life imprisonment. Savanyú was sent to the prison in Ilava (now in Slovakia) but was freed on probation after 15 years. In 1900, newspapers reported that he had settled in his home village and opened a carpenter's shop.
Sándor Rózsa
Another inspiration may have been the legendary Hungarian robber Sándor Rózsa (1813-1878). His name was big enough to earn an obituary in the New York Times[b] and there were also novels written about him[c]. Milan Hodík and Grete Reiner both assume that this is the man Švejk has in mind, but most likely the good soldier gets the two criminals mixed up. The biographical details fit much better with the bandit from Bakony, but whether any books were written about him is not known.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Já jsem byl, jak povídám,“ zněl na opuštěné koleji měkký hlas Švejkův, „taky téhož mínění. Jednou jsem koupil krvák vo Róžovi Šavaňů z Bakonskýho lesa a scházel tam první díl, tak jsem se musel dohadovat vo tom začátku, a ani v takovej raubířskej historii se neobejdete bez prvního dílu.
Adamec
was a metal caster from the Daňkovka plant that Švejk starts to tell Oberleutnant Lukáš about before the latter interrupts him.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Nadporučík Lukáš mluvil takovým hlasem, jako by se o něho pokoušela horečka, a toho okamžiku, když umlkl, využitkoval Švejk k nevinné otázce: „Poslušně hlásím, pane obrlajtnant, za prominutí, proč se nikdy nedozvím, co jsem vyved hroznýho: Já, pane obrlajtnant, jsem se vopovážil na to zeptat jenom kvůli tomu, abych se příště mohl takový věci vystříhat, když se všeobecně povídá, že se vod chyby člověk učí, jako ten slejvač Adamec z Daňkovky, když se vomylem napil solný kyseliny...“
[III.1] Kdyby mně ti lotři alespoň oznámili, jestli někdo není ve špitále. Ještě minulý měsíc ved jsem nějakého Nikodéma, a teprve při lénunku jsem se dozvěděl, že ten Nikodém zemřel v Budějovicích v nemocnici na rychlé souchotiny.
Zyka
was a squad leader who didn't have the slightest overview of his squad, which created disorder in Rechnungsfeldwebel Vaněk's papers.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] A nejhorší je u nás ten cuksfíra Zyka. Samý žert, samá anekdota, ale když mu oznamují, že je Kolařík odkomandován z jeho cuku k trénu, hlásí mně druhý den zas týž samý štand, jako by Kolařík dál se válel u kumpanie a u jeho cuku.
[III.1] A nejhorší je u nás ten cuksfíra Zyka. Samý žert, samá anekdota, ale když mu oznamují, že je Kolařík odkomandován z jeho cuku k trénu, hlásí mně druhý den zas týž samý štand, jako by Kolařík dál se válel u kumpanie a u jeho cuku.
[III.1] Teď si představ, že by tu šunku z feldpošty poslali k nám do kumpačky a my jsme si s panem rechnungsfeldvéblem každej uřízli kousek, a vono by nám to zachutnalo, tak ještě kousek, až by to s tou šunkou dopadlo jako s jedním mým známým listonošem, nějakým Kozlem. Měl kostižer, tak mu napřed uřízli nohu pod kotník, potom pod koleno, potom stehno, a kdyby byl včas neumřel, byli by ho vořezali celýho jako prasklou tužku.
Vomel
was Offiziersdiener Baloun's cattle boy at home, who had warned him about the consequences of gluttony.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Měl jsem doma starýho čeledína Vomela a ten mě vždycky napomínal, abych jen tak nepejchnul, necpal se, že von pamatuje, jak mu jeho dědeček vypravoval dávno vo jednom takovým nedožerovi.
Šeba
was a senior lieutenant whom Švejk knew from his time as a military servant for Oberleutnant Lukáš in Prague. This story puts Offiziersdiener Baloun in his place for having eaten his master's lunch, and Švejk emphasises how well he treated his obrlajtnant compared to how Šeba's servant treated his superior.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Tak si vybral ten den nadívané holoubě. Já jsem si myslel, když mně dali půlku, že by si snad mohl pan obrlajtnant myslet, že jsem mu druhou půlku sežral, tak jsem ještě jednu porci koupil ze svýho a přines takovou nádhernou porci, že pan obrlajtnant Šeba, který ten den sháněl oběd a přišel právě před polednem na návštěvu k mýmu obrlajtnantovi, se taky najed.
Matušič is mentioned 22 times in The Good Soldier Švejk.
Matušič
was the messenger of Švejk's march battalion and appears regularly in the plot from now on, without ever playing a prominent role. He is playing cards with Offiziersdiener Batzer when Kadett Biegler wakes up from his legendary dream on the train to Budapest. In the dream, he features as an angel and, with Batzer, he throws Biegler in the latrine on the order of the Lord himself.
Background
Matušič may well have a real-life model. Jaroslav Hašek was transferred to the front with the XII. Marschbataillon of IR. 91, so a messenger in this unit could have been the inspiration. Given the author's usual projection of real field units into literary march units, the model should be looked for among Čeněk Sagner's battalion messengers by the III. Feldbataillon of IR. 91.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Pane kadet,“ řekl, „pan obrlajtnant poslal sem ordonanc Švejka, aby mu řek, co se stalo. Byl jsem teď u štábního vagonu a batalionsordonanc Matušič vás hledá z nařízení pana batalionskomandanta. Máte hned jít k panu hejtmanovi Ságnerovi.“
Woinovich
is mentioned in connection with postcards the 11th march company has been given as compensation for the salami they were promised. The author correctly states that Woinovich was head of the War Archive. This is revealed during the tense conversation between Hauptmann Ságner and Kadett Biegler at the Győr railway station.
Background
Woinovich
was an Austrian general and military historian of Croatian descent who until 1915 was director of the War Archive in Vienna. He was also the author of 11 books, mainly on war history. A street in Vienna has been named after him.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Kadet Biegler podal veliteli batalionu dvě z těch pohlednic, které vydávalo ředitelství Vojenského válečného archivu ve Vídni, kde byl náčelníkem generál pěchoty Wojnowich. Na jedné straně byla karikatura ruského vojáka, ruského mužika se zarostlou bradou, kterého objímá kostlivec.
Sir Edward Grey
is mentioned in connection with postcards the 11th march company were given as compensation for the salami they were supposed to get on the way from Budapest eastwards to the front. One of the postcards depicts Grey dangling from the gallows. He is also the target of a hate-poem from the collection The Iron Fist by the poet Greinz.
Background
Sir Edward Grey
was British Foreign Secretary from 1905 to 1915 and played an important role in the events that led to the outbreak of war in 1914, although his diplomacy failed. He is criticised for not having communicated clearly to Germany that an invasion of Belgium would lead to war with Britain, but on the other hand he is given credit for persuading Italy to join the war on the side of the Entente.
A friend came to see me on one of the evenings of the last week — he thinks it was on Monday, August 3rd. We were standing at a window of my room in the Foreign Office. It was getting dusk, and the lamps were being lit in the space below... My friend recalls that I remarked on this with the words, "The lamps are going out all over Europe: we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime".
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Nahoře bylo: „Viribus unitis“ a pod tím obrázek, jak na šibenici visí Sir Edward Grey a dole pod ním vesele salutují rakouský i německý voják.
[III.1]Grey
Na šibenici, v příjemné výši,
měl by se houpat Edward Grey,
je na to již nejvyšší čas,
však třeba upozornit vás,
že žádný dub své nepropůjčil dřevo
k popravě toho jidáše.
Greinz
is mentioned in connection with postcards that 11. Marschkompanie has been given as compensation for the salami they should have received. Greinz is quoted from a poetry book, "The Iron Fist". Little jokes about our enemies, which contains a macabre poem about the British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey.
Background
Greinz
was an Austrian author who in 1915 published the poetry book Die eiserne Faust. Marterln auf unsere Feinde.. A poem from this collection is quoted in the novel. Many other well-known people were also "honoured" with poems: Nicholas Nikolaevich and Winston Churchill are just two examples.
The poem called "Grey" is quite accurately reproduced, but Hašek seems to have got the translation of the book's title wrong: He translates "Marterl" as a "small joke", but it is actually a roadside shrine, often to commemorate someone who has died in an accident on that spot. A more common German word is "Bildstock". These shrines are commonplace in Austria, Bavaria and Czechia. Another source of confusion is that the end quote of the book's title is in the wrong place (surely not the author's fault), giving the impression that it is simply called "The Iron Fist".
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Básnička dole byla vzata z knížky Greinzovy: „Železná pěst“. Žertíčky na naše nepřátele, o kterých říšské listy psaly, že verše Greinzovy jsou rány karabáčem, přičemž obsahují pravý nezkrocený humor a nepřekonatelný vtip.
Judas Iscariot
was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original apostles of Jesus. He is best known for his role in betraying Jesus into the hands of the Roman authorities. The name is a Greek form of Judah and has since been used as a byword for traitor, exemplified in this poem about Sir Edward Grey.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1]
Na šibenici, v příjemné výši,
měl by se houpat Edward Grey,
je na to již nejvyšší čas,
však třeba upozornit vás,
že žádný dub své nepropůjčil dřevo
k popravě toho jidáše.
Ritter von Herbert
signed a telegram containing orders about imminent departure to the front at Sokal. Hauptmann Ságner received it at Győr station. General Ritter von Herbert had dispatched a number of these telegrams, none encrypted. The telegram in question was also copied to the 14th march battalion of the 75th regiment.
The military station commander Bahnhofskommandant Zykán then informed Hauptmann Ságner that he had received a secret report from Divisional HQ that the brigade commander had gone mad and had been sent to Vienna. All his telegrams were to be ignored.
Background
According to the novel, General Ritter von Herbert was an Austrian general and commander of the brigade to which Infanterieregiment Nr. 91 belonged. However, such a name is not found in Schematismus, so he is clearly a fictional person. The closest candidates are the colonels Franz Herbert and Herbert Herberstein, but none of them were assigned roles similar to the novel's Herbert[a]. Nor would a general have commanded a brigade, as these units were usually commanded by colonels. That said, the author may well have picked up the story from real life; many officers broke down and reported sick during the course of the war.
According to Ordre de Bataille from 3 July 1915, OberstSchubert was commander of 17. Infanteriebrigade, the unit that IR. 91 reported to. He was replaced by colonel Johann von Mossig on 17 July. On 13 September, he in turn was replaced by colonel Alfred Steinsberg. Mossig, however, took up the position again a few weeks later as this was a temporary shift caused by illness further up the command chain.
The beginning of the next chapter continues the story of the unstable brigade commander and provides an interesting clue. There is mention of constructing a bridge across the Bug. IR. 91 was actually ordered to do this on 20 July (by Kamionka Strumiłowa), but was prevented by flooding, and that night they received a sudden order to march to Sokal. Could Schubert have been replaced due to ill health and thus served as an inspiration for Hašek's "Herbert"?
Replacement troops off track
As often happens in this (and other) novels, the author used his licensia poetica to juggle events and facts. The order to build a bridge across the Bug and then suddenly receive a counter-order to march to Sokal is authentic, but the idea that this order was given to the march unit far behind the lines is a fabrication. No march battalion was ever involved in any of the operations by the Bug and Sokal, as they were usually dissolved the moment they reached the front, with the newly arrived troops assigned to the existing field regiment. There is also a timing inconsistency: the 14th march battalions, including that of Infanterieregiment Nr. 75, were only moved to the front in mid-September. This was six weeks after the battle of Sokal, and at that time the front had been pushed much further east, by Dubno.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] První telegram musel být odevzdán, třebas měl obsah velice překvapující, když je batalion na stanici v Rábu: „Rychle uvařit a pak pochodem na Sokal.“ Adresován byl nešifrovaně na pochodový batalion 91. pluku s kopií na pochodový batalion 75. pluku, který byl ještě vzadu. Podpis byl správný: Velitel brigády: Ritter von Herbert.
[III.2] „Ten vyváděl, ten váš brigádní jenerál,“ řekl, chechtaje se na celé kolo, „ale doručit jsme vám tu blbost museli, poněvadž ještě nepřišlo od divise nařízení, že se jeho telegramy nemají dodávat adresátům.
Professor Udo Kraft
was a German teacher who was Kadett Biegler's role model. This is revealed in Biegler's disastrous conversation with Hauptmann Ságner as the train leaves Győr for Budapest. Biegler was at that moment reading Kraft's Self-Education for Death for the Emperor, published by C.F. Amelang’s Verlag in Leipzig.
Background
Professor Udo Kraft
(Rudolf Karl Emil Kaspar Robert Kraft) was a German grammar school teacher who enlisted as a volunteer when the war broke out. He was shot in the temple near Anloy in Belgium three weeks later, and died instantly. He served as a sergeant with the 116th Infantry Regiment.
Kadett Biegler's description of the book is imprecise. Kraft's book, a collection of letters and diaries, was published in early 1915, i.e. after his death. It was also a matter of death for the fatherland, not for the emperor.
An English translation by Kenneth Kronenberg is available[a].
Selbsterziehung zum Tod fürs Vaterland. Aus den nachgelassenen Papieren des Kriegsfreiwilligen Prof. Udo Kraft.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Přál bych si, když padnu v boji, aby po mně zůstala památka, pane hejtmane. Mým vzorem je německý profesor Udo Kraft. Narodil se roku 1870, nyní ve světové válce přihlásil se dobrovolně a padl 22. srpna 1914 v Anloy. Před svou smrtí vydal knihu ,Sebevýchova pro smrt za císaře’.“
Mazzuchelli
is mentioned in Kadett Biegler's notebook containing sketches of historical battlefields. In this case, it concerns the battle of Trutnov.
Background
Mazzuchelli
was an Austrian general who retired in 1844, so his having commanded a division in the battle of Trutnov on 27 June 1866 is out of the question (he was 90 years old). Mazzuchelli was known as the proprietor of Infanterieregiment Nr. 10 from as early as 1817, but it is unclear whether this regiment took part in the battle.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Kadet Biegler napsal: „Bitva u Trutnova neměla být svedena, poněvadž hornatá krajina znemožňovala rozvinutí divise generála Mazzucheliho, ohrožené silnými pruskými kolonami, nalézajícími se na výšinách obklopujících levé křídlo naší divise.“
Benedek
was an Austrian general and commander-in-chief of the Austrian forces during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. He was blamed for the disastrous defeat, immediately pensioned, and brought before a court martial. The trial was stopped by Emperor Franz Joseph I.
The current Benedek barracks in Brucker Lager is named after him.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Podle vás bitva u Trutnova,“ řekl s úsměvem hejtman Ságner, vraceje sešitek kadetovi Bieglerovi, „mohla být svedena jedině v tom případě, kdyby Trutnov byl na rovině, vy budějovický Benedeku.
Professor Zykán was obviously never a station commander in Hungary but may at least have provided Hašek with a useful surname.
Zlatá Praha,21.10.1892
Zykán
was an active officer of unknown rank who was station commander in Győr. He was Czech and had attended Prager Infanteriekadettenschule with Hauptmann Ságner and Oberleutnant Lukáš. He and Ságner had a conversation at the station where it was revealed that even Ságner at the time had been a Czech patriot, standing up against Austrianism at the school, but later moderated his convictions to further his career.
Background
It has not been possible to identify a model for this officer. The surname is not found in Schematismus from 1914 and is generally quite rare. In 2020 only 47 people with this surname lived in Czechia and the vast majority of them were found in Beroun (15) and Prague (16).
Borrowed name
Because no officer Zykán can be identified, we are at best left with the possibility of name borrowing, a method Hašek frequently used throughout the novel (Švejk, Břetislav Ludvík, Offiziersdiener Baloun and others are just some examples). Considering that Zykán is such a rare surname, it appears surprisingly often in Hašek's stories. A professor Zykán is mentioned in two of them and in a third a similarly-named soldier has a peripheral role.
Nachrichten über Verwundete und Kranke,30.10.1916
The infantryman Alois Zykan served in the 11. Feldkompanie of Infanterieregiment Nr. 91, which was also Hašek's company in 1915. Still, we have no proof that their periods overlapped, but the fact that the name also appeared in Hašek's story from 1916 about the Austrian captain Alserbach strengthens the link. Zykan was born in Vienna in 1889 and was shot in the head 10 September 1916 at the Isonzo front. He died in the garrison hospital in Ljubljana (Laibach) and was also buried there.
Professor Zykán
Časopis pro průmysl chemický,4.1898
The professor whom Hašek wrote about was no doubt Ladislav Zykán (1859-1938). He taught technology and material science at Obchodní akademie where Hašek studied from 1889 to 1902, so the name may have been inspired by circumstances dating back to the turn of the century. In the story Obchodní akademie Hašek provides correct details on him, and even adds where the professor lived[a]. According to Hašek, he was also a former artillery officer, but this is not entirely true: Zykán was a reserve lieutenant in Infanterieregiment Nr. 88 (Beroun) until 1888. According to Hašek's final certificate, Zykán was his teacher in three subjects.
Jaroslav Hašek: Obchodní akademie
Další důležitý předmět pro obchod jest technologie mechanická a nauka o zboží. Hlavně když to člověk umí od slova k slovu. Neboť máme velmi málo obchodníků v Čechách, kteří znají, jak se vyrábí benzín. Profesor Zykán, který předměty ony přednáší, jest velmi zbožný a býval dřív důstojníkem u dělostřelectva. Jest majitelem domu v Klicperově ulici na Královských Vinohradech. Slušné, zámožné posluchače má rád.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Poslyš, Lukáši,“obrátil se k nadporučíkovi, „máš kadeta Bieglera u své kumpanie, tak ho, hocha, cepuj. Podpisuje se, že je důstojník, ať si to v gefechtu zaslouží. Až bude trommelfeuer a my budem atakovat, ať se svým cukem stříhá drahthindernissy, der gute Junge. Á propos, dá tě pozdravovat Zykán, je velitelem nádraží v Rábu.“
Batzer is mentioned 11 times in The Good Soldier Švejk.
Batzer
was the servant of Hauptmann Ságner and came from the area around Kašperské Hory. He and Ordonnanz Matušič are playing cards in the carriage where Kadett Biegler struggles through his dream on the train to Budapest. These two discover the pungent disaster in Biegler's trousers and call their superior. Matušič and Batzer also appear in the dream as archangels.
The narrator provides three dialect samples from Batzer, and he does not hide his dislike for this "horrible" variant of German.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Šel kolem zadního kupé, kde hrál batalionsordonanc Matušič se sluhou velitele praporu Batzerem vídeňskou hru šnopsa. Dívaje se do otevřených dveří kupé, zakašlal. Otočili se a hráli dál. „Nevíte, co se patří?“ otázal se kadet Biegler. „Nemoh jsem,“ odpověděl sluha hejtmana Ságnera Batzer svou strašnou němčinou od Kašperských Hor, „mi’ is’ ď Trump’ ausganga".
[III.1] „Stink awer ď Kerl wie a’Stockfisch,“ prohodil Batzer, který pozoroval se zájmem, jak sebou spící kadet Biegler povážlivě vrtí, „muß’ ďHosen voll ha’n.“
[III.1] Poněvadž se opět při těch slovech počal obracet, zavonělo to Batzerovi intensivně pod nos, takže poznamenal odplivuje si: „Stink wie a’ Haizlputza, wie a’ bescheißena Haizlputza.“
Schwarzenberg
enters the dream of Kadett Biegler when he deals with the Battle of the Nations by Leipzig in 1813.
Background
Schwarzenberg
was an Austrian nobleman, diplomat and Field Marshal. He was commander of the coalition forces (Austria, Prussia, Russia, Sweden) at the battle of Leipzig in 1813. The battle was a decisive defeat for Napoléon and the following year Schwarzenberg led his forces into Paris.
Schwarzenberg hailed from the Bohemian branch of the family. He was first buried in Třeboň but his sarcophagus was later moved to the family's burial chapel in Kožlí u Orlíka near Písek.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Znáte dějiny bitvy národů u Lipska?“ otázal se, „když polní maršálek kníže Schwarzenberg šel na Liebertkovice 14. října roku 1813 a když 16. října byl zápas o Lindenau, boje generála Merweldta, a když rakouská vojska byla ve Wachavě a když 19. října padlo Lipsko?“
Merveldt
enters Kadett Biegler's dream when he deals with the battle near Leipzig in 1813.
Background
Merveldt
was a German diplomat and general who served Austria. He commanded an army at the Battle of Nations near Leipzig, but was captured after approaching a group of Poles and Saxons he thought were Hungarians. He died while he was ambassador in London, and was given an honorary burial in Westminster Abbey.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „Znáte dějiny bitvy národů u Lipska?“ otázal se, „když polní maršálek kníže Schwarzenberg šel na Liebertkovice 14. října roku 1813 a když 16. října byl zápas o Lindenau, boje generála Merweldta, a když rakouská vojska byla ve Wachavě a když 19. října padlo Lipsko?“
Viktor Dankl
enters Kadett Biegler's dream; there is a portrait of him hanging on the wall of the k.u.k. Gottes Hauptquartier.
Background
Viktor Dankl
was an Austro-Hungarian general and one of the principal military leaders between 1914 and 1916. At the outbreak of war, he was commander of 1. Armee and was supreme commander at the battle of Kraśnik, the first battle Austria-Hungary won.
In 1915, he became commander of the Austro-Hungarian forces on the Italian front and remained in that position until he was replaced in 1916 due to ill health.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Uprostřed pokoje, ve kterém po stěnách visely podobizny Františka Josefa a Viléma, následníka trůnu Karla Františka Josefa, generála Viktora Dankla, arcivévody Bedřicha a šéfa generálního štábu Konráda z Hötzendorfu, stál pán bůh.
Friedrich
enters Kadett Biegler's dreadful dream; there is a portrait of him hanging on the wall of the k.u.k. Gottes Hauptquartier.
Background
Friedrich
was an Austro-Hungarian general and archduke, also known as a successful businessman and landowner. From 1914 to 1917 he was Inspector General of the Royal and Imperial armed forces and thus formally held the highest position as head of AOK. However, Feldmarschall Conrad had the decisive power in operational matters. Friedrich was a cousin of Emperor Franz Joseph I and the brother of Archduke Stephan.
Towards the end of the war, Friedrich had become very unpopular, accused of military incompetence and of having used the war to enrich himself. The successor states of Austria-Hungary (except for Hungary and partly Austria) confiscated nearly all his property. Amongst Czechs he was particularly unpopular as one of the architects of the severe repression that his AOK advocated.
The Good Soldier Švejk in Captivity
In Dobrý voják Švejk v zajetí Friedrich is mentioned during Švejk's stay at a psychiatric clinic in Vienna. One of the inmates claims to be the archduke and says "we will be in Moscow in a month".[1]
Tam v rohu chodby seděl například člověk, kaprál, který křičel, že je arcivévoda Bedřich a že za měsíc bude v Moskvě. Toho zavřeli na pozorování, ale nesmíme zapomenouti že skutečný arcivévoda Bedřich se jednou sám tak vyjádřil a nestalo se mu nic, jen utrpěl trochu blamáže.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] Uprostřed pokoje, ve kterém po stěnách visely podobizny Františka Josefa a Viléma, následníka trůnu Karla Františka Josefa, generála Viktora Dankla, arcivévody Bedřicha a šéfa generálního štábu Konráda z Hötzendorfu, stál pán bůh.
Welfer
was a "war doctor" who had lived very well as a student on a grant from a deceased uncle. He would receive the grant every year until he graduated. The pay-out was four times higher than an expected salary, so the studies dragged on until the war ruined it all. Now, in Budapest, he had to attend to Kadett Biegler, who had soiled his trousers after his nasty dream on the train.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] K batalionu byl přidělen „válečný doktor“, starý medik a buršák Welfer. Znal pít, rvát se a přitom měl medicinu v malíčku. Prodělal medicinské fakulty v různých universitních městech v Rakousko-Uhersku, i praxi v nejrozmanitějších nemocnicích, ale doktorát neskládal prostě z toho důvodu, že v závěti, kterou zanechal jeho strýc svým dědicům, bylo to, že se má vyplácet stud. mediciny Bedřichu Welferovi ročně stipendium do té doby, kdy obdrží Bedřich Welfer lékařský diplom.
Koch
was a captain (or major) who had died of cholera and was to be buried in Budapest together with Kadett Biegler (whom the doctors thought would soon die). One of the doctors had earlier referred to Koch as a major. It is also mentioned that Koch has the same surname as the discoverer of the cholera germ.
Background
In 1914 there were several officers named Koch in k.u.k. Heer, among them three captains and one major. None of them served in Infanterieregiment Nr. 91 or any of the other regiments from Bohemia. That said, the dead officer in Budapest may obviously have been from any army unit.
Captain or major?
In his translation of The Good Soldier Švejk into English Cecil Parrott corrected Hašek's incoherent use of "captain" and "major", and decided that Koch was a major. Antonín Brousek, German translator of the novel, makes the same assumption.
Quote(s) from the novel
[III.1] „To, co mluví, jsou jeho poslední slova,“ řekl štábní lékař k sanitnímu poddůstojníkovi maďarsky, „zítra ho pochováme s majorem Kochem. Teď upadne do bezvědomí. Listiny jsou o něm v kanceláři?“ „Budou tam,“ odpověděl klidně sanitní poddůstojník. „Ei-ei-ne-ne De-de-de-deck-ke-ke,“ jektal za odcházejícími kadet Biegler. V celém pokoji bylo na šestnácti lůžkách pět lidí. Jeden z nich byl nebožtíkem. Zemřel před dvěma hodinami, byl pokryt prostěradlem a jmenoval se jako objevitel cholerových bacilů. Byl to hejtman Koch, o kterém se štábní lékař zmiňoval, že bude míti zítra pohřeb s kadetem Bieglerem.
