The Good Soldier Švejk

The first scholar to study Hašek's work at Svět zvířat seriously was Břetislav Hůla. The result was the book Malá zoologická zahrada[a] (The Small Zoological Garden). Published in 1950, it listed Zdena Ančík as the sole editor, although Hůla had undoubtedly done the groundwork. Unfortunately, the volume says nothing about the origins of the stories. This article addresses that omission with a comprehensive bibliography and a critical examination of Hůla's "discoveries".

The Small Zoological Garden,1950

Most of the book consists of Jaroslav Hašek's animal-related stories from various publications. It contains 29 signed stories (nine from Svět zvířat) and 17 short, unsigned notices (all from Svět zvířat). Eleven appeared in the series Sebrané spisy Jaroslava Haška during the interwar years, while Břetislav Hůla identified the remainder after World War II.

The book is illustrated by Josef Lada and includes an introduction by Zdena Ančík whose main purpose is to extol the virtues of "Hašek the Communist".

Haškologists barking up the wrong tree by claiming that Hašek discovered new species.

Ančík does, however, devote a few lines to matters relevant to the book's content. Unfortunately, he goes badly astray by claiming that it mentions seven supposedly unknown species, presented as Hašek's zoological inventions... In fact, all seven were known to science by the turn of the century. Presenting the blue whale and the tyrannosaurus as Jaroslav Hašek's "discoveries" displays an astounding degree of zoological illiteracy on the part of the editor(s). Of the seven creatures, only Hašek's flea can, in a limited sense, be said to have been "discovered" by Hašek.

The main stories

Hltoun strašlivý (the terrible guzzler) was a creature that was first brought to life in Karikatury in July 1911, nine months after Hašek left Svět zvířat. In the magazine there is no trace of such a creature.

Karikatury,31.7.1911

The twenty-nine main stories are mostly works of fiction by Hašek. Identifying them required little effort, since they appear in Jaroslav Hašek's official bibliography[d]. There is little doubt that he wrote all of them, although some bear pseudonyms and others are unsigned. In those cases, scholars established authorship by analysing the texts, chiefly through Břetislav Hůla's efforts. A complete list appears in the links section at the end of this article.

Among these twenty-nine are two stories about Hašek's time as editor of Svět zvířat, written relatively soon after he left the magazine[ka1][ko1]. They are significant because they helped launch several legends about Hašek and Svět zvířat, myths that survive to this day (2025). Even then, Hašek embroidered his experiences at the magazine, writing about "discoveries" never seen in Svět zvířat and distorting other details.

Readers of The Good Soldier Švejk will notice parallels with Einjährigfreiwilliger Marek's tales on the train to Bruck, such as his claim that the animal world needed enriching with new species. In these pieces, Hašek asserted that he had written about imaginary animals in Svět zvířat, including creatures such as the werewolf and the terrible guzzler. He even had the cheek to claim existing animals such as the sulphur-bellied whale as his own invention, another parallel with Marek.

Brief unsigned reports

Drunkenness amongst animals. This entry may be the work of Hašek (or he translated it) but is probable not mystification. Many stories about animals and alcohol circulated, then as now. In the bibliography the entry is classed as debatable authorship.

Svět zvířat,1.8.1909

The unsigned items from Svět zvířat were much harder to identify, particularly those not printed during Hašek's periods as editor. The reports invariably appeared in the feature column "From around the world". Seven of the seventeen were published by Svět zvířat during his two spells as editor. The 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1913 volumes are available in searchable digital form, making these seven reports straightforward to locate and date.

The remaining ten items had to be sought in paper volumes, making the search time-consuming. The 1900, 1901, 1904, 1905, 1906 and 1907 volumes were browsed manually, while dr. Martin Dvořák supplied scanned (non-searchable) copies of those for 1908 and 1911.

Refuted authorship

The article Moderní lov velryb (Modern whale hunting) was taken from the German magazine Über land und Meer and was probably translated by Hašek. The photos were also cut from the original article. Thus, the sulphur-bellied whale was not discovered by Hašek.

Svět zvířat,1.6.1909

The table makes clear that very little can be attributed to Hašek, and that the seven species Ančík says he discovered were all known to science when the reports appeared in Svět zvířat.

Furthermore, it is reasonable to conclude that four[z10][z11][z12][z14] of the seven stories from Hašek's period as editor are not his work, since they had appeared elsewhere before being printed in Svět zvířat [s04][s05][s06][s07].

Nor were the six items from 1905 written by Hašek: as far as we know, he had nothing to do with the journal until November 1908. At least three [z04][z07][z15] of those six reports also originated in other publications, further excluding him as their author.

After examining the issue of 1 September 1911, the editors of Malá zoologická zahrada attributed two stories to Jaroslav Hašek [z01][z06], even though he was not associated with the magazine at that time. Hašek undoubtedly contributed to one of them, the famous Hašek's flea. The other snippet had already appeared elsewhere [s09]. Thus, twelve of the seventeen items are ultimately "false positives"; one remains unidentified [z09], and one was slightly "adapted" by Hašek [s08]. Another is definitely his: it appeared in the "Merry Corner" column while he edited Svět zvířat and was even signed J.H.[z03]. The remaining two reports, [z05][z13], are unverified and were probably written by Hašek (or at least selected and translated by him).

Sensationalism

Several volumes of Svět zvířat show that the magazine regularly published curious and sensational material, regardless of who was editing it. This was Svět zvířat's policy and surely contributed to its popularity. That is hardly surprising, since the journal belonged to the "popular science" category. Even quality dailies such as Prager Tagblatt carried such reports, and Svět zvířat contains several stories that had appeared in "Tagblatt" a week or two earlier, including the account of a newly discovered species in the Himalayas[s06][z12].

Hůla ignoring the time-line

The asvail bear (sloth bear) was not invented by Hašek and Svět zvířat wrote about this animal four years before he became the editor.

Svět zvířat,15.8.1905

In an unpublished note from 1950, Břetislav Hůla stated that there were reasons to believe Hašek had contributed to Svět zvířat at least four years before officially becoming an editor[c], in other words, from 1905. The basis for this conclusion is unknown, but he reinforces it by including six items from 1905, four of them printed in the issue of 15 August 1905.

Another problem with Hůla's selection is that some items had already appeared in Austro-German newspapers and could not have been written by Hašek or anyone else at Svět zvířat. They must have been selected and translated either by Fuchs or his co-editor Karel Ladislav Kukla.

Pytlík critical

In Zábavný a poučný koutek Jaroslav Haška (1973), Radko Pytlík noted that Břetislav Hůla had included reports and notes that Hašek did not write and could not have written, since they appeared before he became Svět zvířat's editor [b]. He and the other editors therefore omitted the stories from 1905, 1911 and early 1912. Nevertheless, some uncertainty remains, as the case of Hašek's flea demonstrates.

Jediným badatelem, který se touto oblastí Haškovy činnosti zabýval, byl Břetislav Hůla. Hůla nebyl kritický k Haškovu humornému vyprávění a k bohémské legendě; zaměřil se proto na výběr zpráv s tematikou „objevů“ nových zvířat a na anekdotické prvky, obsažené v lokálkách. Dospěl k ničím neohraničenému celku, který zahrnoval i zprávy a noticky, jež Hašek evidentně nepsal a psát nemohl, neboť byly otištěny v době, kdy ještě nebyl redaktorem Světa zvířat. Radko Pytlík, 1973, "Zábavný a poučný koutek Jaroslav Haška"

Legends allowed to live on

By 1950, Hůla had gathered enough information to dispel some of the myths about Hašek and Svět zvířat created over the years by Jaroslav Hašek himself, Emil Artur Longen, Václav Menger and many others. He (or rather Zdena Ančík) chose not to do so, ensuring that scholars and ordinary readers continued, and still continue, to believe that Hašek once introduced fantasy creatures such as the vlkodlak (werewolf) and the hltoun strašlivý (the terrible gobbler) to the pages of Svět zvířat...

Ančík's seven wonders

In the introduction to Malá zoologická zahrada, Zdena Ančík claimed that Hašek "discovered" no less than seven species that could not be found in any natural science publications or encyclopedia. Let us therefore scrutinise the fantasy creatures of Hašek, Hůla, and Ančík one by one...

Conclusion

Unfortunately, Malá zoologická zahrada contains many "false positives": stories and reports that Jaroslav Hašek did not write, although he may have translated some. This led the editor(s) to conclude that Hašek had "discovered" new animals, a dubious claim in light of the evidence that prompted me to write this article.

That said, the book deserves attention because it includes many stories and reports that had never appeared in book form before 1950 and were consequently largely unknown to the reading public. It also testifies to Břetislav Hůla's meticulous work identifying stories by Hašek in various publications, an effort for which he is rarely given credit (his name is not even mentioned in the book).

Legacy

Malá zoologická zahrada has had a lasting impact on perceptions of Hašek's work at Svět zvířat. Although Radko Pytlík partly debunked its myths in Fun and Education (1973), the book is still cited by scholars and enthusiasts alike, as of 2025. German Wikipedia perpetuates some of these stories, including the myth of the drunken parrots from 1905. Angelo Maria Rippelino is, however, the most prominent "victim". In his epic Praga magica (1973), the distinguished poet, scholar and translator quotes several of the "findings" from Malá zoologická zahrada, including Hašek's flea and several of the wilder stories from 1905.

Literature

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• Zvláštní zvíře, KopřivyJaroslav Hašek,6.6.1912 [ko1]
• Milostný román lidoopa konsula Petra, Svět zvířat,15.5.1909
• Má drahá přitelkyně Julča, Zlatá PrahaJaroslav Hašek,23.4, 30.4, 7.5.1914
• O domýšlivém kocouru Bobešovi, Svět zvířatJaroslav Hašek,1.3.1910
• Povídka o neslušném ježkovi, Humoristické listyVojtěk Hanáčík,10.7.1908
• Na výstavě psů, Svět zvířatJaroslav Hašek,15.5.1912
• Povídka z hipodromu, Zlatá PrahaJaroslav Hašek,5.12.1913
• Manželská nevěra, Dělnický rodinný kalendář na r. 1914Jaroslav Hašek,1913
• O jednom hrozném psu, Svět zvířatJaroslav Hašek,15.2.1909
• Oslík Guat, Národní listyJaroslav Hašek,6.11.1904 also SZ, 15.6.1909
• Proč měl Bači zaražen postup, Humoristické listyJaroslav Hašek,27.3.1914
• Konec opice, Národní listyJaroslav Hašek,28.3.1902
• Kaťouráci, SvětozorJaroslav Hašek,31.12.1914
• Světci a zvířata, KarikaturyJaroslav Hašek,27.5.1909
• Rekův románek, Besedy liduJaroslav Hašek,13.6.1914
• O spletené rosničce, Svět zvířatJaroslav Hašek,15.2.1913
• Můj obchod se psy, Jaroslav Hašek,1915 From the book "Můj obchod se psy a jiné humoresky"
• Opat Fronto a velbloudi, KarikaturyAlban Scleichleiter,1.4.1909
• Vojenský pes pana hejtmana, Národní listyJaroslav Hašek,20.10.1903
• Kámen mudrců, České slovoJaroslav Hašek,18.6.1911
• Příhoda vojáka Svobody a jezevčíka Čora, České slovoAntonín Kočka,27.3.1911
• O dvou mouchách, které to přečkaly, Právo liduH.,8.2.1914
• O nejošklivějším psu Balabánovi, Svět zvířatJaroslav Hašek,15.4.1913
• O slepičce idealistce, Svět zvířatJaroslav Hašek,15.3.1913
• Podivuhodné dobrodružství kocoura Markuse, Humoristické listyJaroslav Hašek,6.2.1914
• Smiloval se k ránu nad trýzněným koněm, České slovo,5.1.1912
• Román novofoundláka Oglu, Humoristické listyJaroslav Hašek,27.12.1912
• V přírodovědeckém časopise, KarikaturyJaroslav Hašek,31.7.1911 [ka1]
• Účinek hudby na zvířata, Svět zvířat,15.6.1909

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• Pravěká blecha, Svět zvířat,1.9.1911 [z01]Neues Wiener Journal, 19.8.1911
• Kocour zachráncem, Svět zvířat,1.3.1912 [z02]Národní listy, 15.2.1912
• Naš vše se děti ptají, Svět zvířatJ. H.,1.2.1913 [z03]From "Veselý koutek"
• Nebezpečná hejna zdivočelých škotských ovčáckých psů "Collie", Svět zvířat,15.8.1905 [z04]Allgemeine Sports-Zeitung, 16.7.1905
• Opilství mezi zvířaty, Svět zvířat,1.8.1909 [z05]
• Sešílela následkem štipnuti mouchou, Svět zvířat,1.9.1911 [z06]Plzeňské listy, 21.8.1911
• Papouškové, kteří se v přirodě na svobodě na mol opíjejí, Svět zvířat,1.1.1905 [z07]Deutsches Volksblatt, 10.4.1904
• Z velbloudího žaludku vodu pití je naprosto nemožno, Svět zvířat,15.8.1905 [z08]
• Nepochopený recept ze “Světa rad”, Svět zvířat,-
• Moderní lov velryb, Svět zvířatFrant. Winter,1.6.1909 [z10]Über Land und Meer, no. 32, 1909
• Největší dravec světa, Svět zvířat,15.2.1910 [z11]Arbeiter-Zeitung, 5.2.1910
• Objevení nového zviřete, Svět zvířat,1.8.1909 [z12]Prager Tagblatt, 18.7.1909
• Karikatury v říši zvířat, Svět zvířat,1.1.1910 [z13]
• Žraloci u Messiny, Svět zvířat,15.7.1909 [z14]Prager Tagblatt, 6.7.1909
• Poklad nalezen v žaludku ryby mečouna, Svět zvířat,1.6.1905 [z15]Prager Tagblatt, 23.5.1905
• Nepezpečné lovy na lidožravé medvědy asvaily ve Východní Indii, Svět zvířat,15.8.1905 [z16]Sloth bear. Brehm?
• Mravenci ničiteli vajec v hnízdech ptačích, Svět zvířat,15.8.1905 [z17]

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• Papageien, die sich bezechen, Deutsches Volksblatt,10.4.1904 [s01]Svět zvířat, 1.1.1905
• In der Tiefe, Prager Tagblatt,23.5.1905 [s02]Svět zvířat, 1.6.1905
• Verwilderte Collies, Allgemeine Sport-Zeitung,16.7.1905 [s03]Svět zvířat, 15.8.1905
• Der moderne Walfischfang, Über Land und MeerFranz Winter,9.5.1909 [s04]Svět zvířat, 1.6.1909
• Der Hai von Messina, Prager Tagblatt,6.7.1909 [s05]Svět zvířat, 15.7.1909
• Entdeckung eines neuen Tieres, Prager Tagblatt,18.7.1909 [s06]Svět zvířat, 1.8.1909
• Das größte Raubtier der Welt, Arbeiter-Zeitung,5.2.1910 [s07]Svět zvířat, 15.2.1910
• Ein Floh der Vorwelt, Neues Wiener Journal,19.8.1911 [s08]Svět zvířat, 1.9.1911
• Následky štípnutí mouchy, Plzeňské listy,21.8.1911 [s09]Svět zvířat, 1.9.1911
• Kocour zachránil - osm policejních strážníků, Národní listy,15.2.1912 [s10]Svět zvířat, 1.3.1912

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• Malá zoologická zahrada, ed. Zdena Ančík,1950 [a]
• Zábavný a poučný koutek Jaroslava Haška, ed. Zdena Ančík, Radko Pytlík, Milan Jankovič,1973 [b]
• Jaroslav Haška zoologická zahrada, LA-PNPBřetislav Hůla,1950 [c]
• Bibliografie Jaroslava Haška, Štěpán Kosík,2025 [d]