marked expression in the two fanciful tales by the Brothers Čapek, Josef (1887) and Karel (1890), who are as remarkable for their gifts of imagination and satire as for the harmonious sympathy which joins their minds in their work. Others included are Otakar Theer (1885–1917), who unfortunately died too early to fulfil all the hopes he had raised; K. Čapek-Chod (1850), a powerful and earnest novelist, whose understanding of the labouring classes is expressed in the poignant story in this book; F. X. Šalda (1868), who often chooses a milieu other than that of his own country, and Růžena Svobodová (1868–1920), a woman writer whose thoughtful and individual vision of life brings the volume to an harmonious close.
For the design on the jacket I am indebted to Mr Josef Čapek; it illustrates the story “The Island,” by himself and his brother.
