Saturnin (italsky) – Jirotka Zdeněk (2023)

Zdeněk Jirotka’s famous humorous novel follows the tradition of Czech humour represented by authors such as J. Hašek, K. Čapek and K. Poláček, while also drawing inspiration from the Anglo-Saxon comic prose of J. K. Jerome and P. G. Wodehouse. Humour, especially satire and parody, is a fundamental part of Czech literature, and Jirotka subversively employs a variety of literary forms and genres, from romantic women’s fiction and boys’ cowboy adventures to popular forms of art. Saturnin tells the story of a young man in love and his loyal servant Saturnin, who disrupts established routines, turns his master’s life upside down, creates eccentric situations and finds his own way of dealing with any circumstances. Through his actions, Saturnin exposes other people’s weaknesses and reveals their “true” faces. Although he is a servant, his conduct enables him to command those around him, who are drawn into his game whether they want to be or not. First published in 1942 during the Nazi occupation, the novel has since appeared in more than twenty Czech-language editions and been translated into many languages. It has also been adapted for film, television and the stage. This is the third, revised edition in Italian, and the contents are in Italian.