The Man Without a Transit Pass - Jaroslav Hašek

Wholesale and International Orders

May 2023 // 148 pages // 5 x 7 inches 

Gathering work from across Jaroslav Hašek’s brief but prolific career, this collection showcases the outrageous wit and biting social commentary that made him the most popular Czech writer of all time. Much like his beloved novel The Good Soldier Švejk, these sixteen tales—previously unavailable in English—are populated with unforgettable characters: various cranks, conmen, and secret geniuses. The Man Without a Transit Pass further solidifies Hašek’s place as one of the 20th century’s greatest satirists.

Jaroslav Hašek (1883–1923) was a Czech humorist, satirist, and journalist. He was beloved—and infamous—for his bohemian lifestyle, practical jokes, and radical politics. During his short life, he wrote copiously and traveled on foot throughout Central and Eastern Europe, frequently landing in trouble with the authorities. He is best known for The Good Soldier Švejk, an unfinished comic novel set during the First World War. 

Dustin Stalnaker discovered Hašek’s lesser-known short stories in Germany, while researching the history of European antifascism. He grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania. He now runs the translation blog Tales from Jaroslav.

"Beautiful, absurd, and entertaining stories suitable for any setting: morning or evening, summer or winter." Adrian Bonenberger, The Wrath Bearing Tree

"Hasek is mocking authority and bourgeois respectability, of course, but the criticism is ultimately of the individual's inability to tolerate being the butt of a joke. If the universe is absurd, then we shouldn't be so foolish as to take it seriously." Robert Rubsam, The Cleveland Review of Books

"The English premiere of these short stories is long overdue. They will not push aside the veneration of Svejk, but the tales present a fuller picture of Hasek's ability to capture and preserve a place moving from empire to nation-state." Anthony Hennen, Apofenie