Slovak Literature in English Translation

René, or: A Young Man’s Adventures and Experiences is the first translation into another language of what is widely considered to be the first Slovak novel. Originally published 1783-1785, it depicts the journey of René and a companion from Venice to the Middle East, Austria, and Upper Hungary. Their interrogation of social custom, class system, religious practice and ecclesiastical authority reflects Bajza’s belief in the power of critical examination to better the world.  The novel’s familiar landscape, echoing Voltaire, Montesquieu, Wieland, or Johnson, places it among the classics of the Age of Enlightenment.  The translation is accompanied by in-depth footnotes and commentary by literary scholars Dobrota Pucherová and Erika Brtáňová, which explain the significance of Bajza’s work within a wider European context in the eighteenth century.