What is satire?

Satire has been variously defined, throughout centuries, as 'a poem in which wickedness or folly is censured', 'the amendment of vices', 'reformation' or as 'a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own, which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it.' In other words - satire enables people to laugh at their fellow man's foolishness while blissfully unaware that they're being fools themselves.

Is satire art? 

The satirist is a kind of self-appointed guardian of standards, ideals and truth; of morals as well as aesthetic values. Satirists are people who take it upon themselves to correct, censure and ridicule the follies and vices of society and thus to bring contempt and derision upon aberrations from a desirable and civilized norm. Thus satire is a kind of protest, a sublimation and refinement of anger and indignation.

As Ian Jack once so adroitly put it: 'Satire is born of the instinct to protest; it is protest become art.'

 

What is the role of a satirist? 

 

In Essays in Satire (1928) Ronald Knox likened the satirist to a small boy who goes about with a water pistol charged with vitriol. He also suggests that the satirist is a kind of spiritual therapist whose function is to destroy the root causes of the major diseases of the spirit, like hypocrisy, pride and greed.

 

Satire during the last century 

During the 20th century satire was rare. Two of the main reasons for this lack are that the 20th century was a period of much instability and violent change, and the humour industry grew to such an extent that the satirist could hardly make himself felt except in the caricature and the cartoon. Sustained verbal satire of merit was very unusual, and verse satire almost nonexistent.

21st century satire 

Cabbage, Strudel and Trams 

An almost biographical and definitely riotous tale of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under.

Cabbage, Strudel & Trams tells the story of a young girl's turbulent journey from childhood to adulthood, of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under. Narrated by Franta, an imaginary friend inhabiting the inner world of our young heroine Vendula, this satirical coming-of-age tale depicts the trials and tribulations of an ordinary Czech family living in a small mining town in communist Czechoslovakia in the early 1980s, their escape to West Germany and their resettlement in Australia.

The story begins when the combined household of Zhvuk & Dribbler is thrown into chaos by the untimely defection of Uncle Stan to West Germany. With nothing but their damaged political profile to lose, the family decides to eventually follow in Uncle Stan's footsteps but not before puberty, free enterprise, unrequited love and things that only happen to other people shred our young heroine's heart. With charm, poise and a little grace, Franta navigates Vendula through the pitfalls of her teenage years, guiding her to discover her own identity. As shenanigans gather momentum, Franta's humorous insights into Vendula's loopy family: the assertive mother, the henpecked father, the enterprising granddad, the blissful grandma, the dissenting uncle and his circle of "freedom fighting" friends build a picture of the life of ordinary folk surviving the oppressive communist regime.

Well, even straw will eventually break the camel's back. Following a trip to the almighty Soviet "Onion" where rows of empty shop windows reveal the future all too clearly, the family escapes to West Germany. Unexpectedly, the refugee camp, a colourless shapeless blur on the edge of a dark, dark forest where only goblins live, is a "happy" kind of place in which tobacco chewing, nose picking, throat clearing, the occasional riot, and plentiful and uninhibited sexual exploits are the order of the day. Of course, life is not all beer and crackers for our heroes; having carved out some sort of an existence in the camp, new challenges arise when the family arrives in Australia.

 Cabbage, Strudel and Trams (Part I: Czechoslovakia)

Cabbage, Strudel and Trams (Part II: West Germany)

Cabbage, Strudel and Trams (Part III: Australia)

The Interview

In July 2008 Ivana Hruba appeared on the popular television show: Ned's Pearls of Wisdom The Television Show. The interview in its entirety (4.20 mins) is transcribed below. 

In the studio of the famous television show 'Ned's Greatest Reads', Ned, the host, leans seductively toward the author Ivana Hruba seated across the table from him.

Ned (squinting at the cue card in his hand): “So I’m reading here that you’re pretty, witty and very, very talented.”

Ivana: (smiling and casting demure glances like a virgin bride): “Don’t you believe everything you hear, Ned. I wouldn’t say I’m very very talented. Just talented, really.”

Ned (nodding): “I see. It says here that you write, paint, draw cartoons, decoupage, crochet clothes for your dogs and your cat, trim trees into geometrical shapes, dress garden gnomes as characters in Shakespearean plays, fluently gesture in fifty-five languages, make really tiny landscapes in really tiny glass bottles using only toothpicks and moss, organize baby wardrobes for a modest fee and … (here Ned squints closely at the print out) … make nice smelling candles to sell at your local church. That’s very impressive, Ivana.”

Ivana (looking very pleased): “It is, Ned. And I also play the guitar.”

Ned (with just a hint of irony): “Aha. You wouldn’t be a singer too, by any chance, would you?”

Ivana: (a slight blush suffusing her attractive cheeks): “Well, funnily enough, I was in a band for years.”

Ned: “Singing?”

Ivana: “Lead.”

Ned: “Naturally.”

Ivana: “Naturally.” (Here Ivana beams, winking at Ned and raising her brows just so.)

Ned (taking the hint) affords himself an indulgent smile: “And you were successful, I take it?”

Ivana (grinning expectantly at the thought of delivering a witty punch-line): “Well, we made just enough to keep me in waitressing.”

A slight pause follows during which Ned starts to look worried and Ivana eventually stops grinning.

Ivana (tossing her hair playfully): “I’d like to point out that I am no longer in that line of work.”

Ned: “Oh? What made you give it up?”

Ivana: “Popular demand, really.”

Ned: (laughs heartily): “Sorry to hear that. It must have been tough when nobody showed up.”

Ivana (looking pointedly around the empty studio): “I wouldn’t know about that. We had lots of people come to our shows. Loads, really.”

Ned: “So it was a good show then?”

Ivana: “Oh, yes. Well worth the two dollar cover charge. We had queues every night we played.”

Ned: “Really? At the door?”

Ivana: “Well … (looks undecided for a moment then decides to tell the truth) … perhaps I should explain. There were queues at the toilets every pension night because we only played every second Thursday and they wouldn’t let us use the stage so we just set up by the wall between the Ladies and the Men’s but the drummer couldn’t really fit the drum kit in that tiny narrow space so the kit basically barred the toilets on both sides and people had trouble getting in.”

Ned (after a pause during which he stared intently at Ivana sitting across from him): “Right, right. Interesting. So, why didn’t you keep going if you were that popular?”

Ivana: “I wasn’t really comfortable with that kind of exposure. It was too much. People were taking photos and everything.”

Ned (perking up): “What? You did nude photos?”

Ivana (gasping theatrically): “Me? I never!”

Ned: “Why not?”

Ivana: “Nobody asked, if you must know.”

An awkward pause follows during which Ned contemplates why it was that Ivana wasn’t asked to pose nude and Ivana contemplates why Ned would be wondering about that when there are great literary tomes to talk about. The hush is broken when Ned eventually mutters): “Sooo, let us speak about the novels. I would imagine your work is worth a lot to you.”

Ivana: “Well, Ned, I don’t think about it in monetary terms. It’s not viable, really.”

Ned: “Of course, not. You can’t really put a price on those things, can you?”

Ivana: “Oh, I could.”

Ned laughs a wee bit too loud. Leaning slightly forward, he winks at Ivana: “Tell me how much you got for the books.”

Ivana sighs, looking resigned if slightly uncomfortable because she knows she has no choice but to answer - after all, she had promised to give a ‘warts and all’ interview: “Well, I won’t go into details, dear Ned, but I can tell you that the money I’ve already received is well in line with the immense talent I possess and the high profile I enjoy.”

Ned: “Yes, I’ve heard you’re huge on social networking websites. It says here you’ve got about five hundred friends on Ned’s Greatest Reads.”

Ivana beams proudly and casts more demure glances: “Actually, it’s a bit more than that. 538 in total.”

Ned: “Right, right. Interesting. Soo … (Ned nods thoughtfully, swiveling slightly in his swivel chair) … would you say you’re close to these people?”

Ivana (hesitantly): “Well … we’re friends, you know.”

Ned: “Aha. So if you came face to face with one, you’d be okay with that?”

Ivana: “Oh, yeah. I’d be all right. I carry me Mace on me at all times.

Ned picks up a stack of loose papers he had been gathering into a pile during the interview and taps the pile into a neat stack.

Ned: “Well then, Ivana, it’s been a pleasure.” (He beams at the author, extending his hand towards her in a gesture of good-bye.)

Ivana (confusedly): “Huh? So soon? Can we talk about me books?”

Ned: “Sorry, love. We’re out of time.”

 

Cabbage, Strudel and Trams (Part 3: Australia)

Click here to download at Amazon.com

Part III: Australia

An almost biographical but definitely riotous tale of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under.

Cabbage, Strudel & Trams tells the story of a young girl’s turbulent journey from childhood to adulthood, of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under. Narrated by Franta, an imaginary friend inhabiting the inner world of our young heroine Vendula, this satirical coming-of-age tale depicts the trials and tribulations of an ordinary Czech family living in a small mining town in communist Czechoslovakia in the early 1980s, their escape to West Germany and their resettlement in Australia.

The story begins when the combined household of Zhvuk & Dribbler is thrown into chaos by the untimely defection of Uncle Stan to West Germany. With nothing but their damaged political profile to lose, the family decides to eventually follow in Uncle Stan’s footsteps but not before puberty, free enterprise, unrequited love and things that only happen to other people shred our young heroine’s heart. With charm, poise and a little grace, Franta navigates Vendula through the pitfalls of her teenage years, guiding her to discover her own identity. As shenanigans gather momentum, Franta’s humorous insights into Vendula’s loopy family: the assertive mother, the henpecked father, the enterprising granddad, the blissful grandma, the dissenting uncle and his circle of ‘freedom fighting’ friends build a picture of the life of ordinary folk surviving the oppressive communist regime.

Well, even straw will eventually break the camel’s back. Following a trip to the almighty Soviet Onion where rows of empty shop windows reveal the future all too clearly, the family escapes to West Germany. Unexpectedly, the refugee camp, a colourless shapeless blur on the edge of a dark, dark forest where only goblins live, is a happy kind of place in which tobacco chewing, nose picking, throat clearing, the occasional riot, and plentiful and uninhibited sexual exploits are the order of the day. Of course, life is not all beer and crackers for our heroes; having carved out some sort of an existence in the camp, new challenges arise when the family arrives in Australia.

Review:
What grabbed me, kept me reading Cabbage, Strudel and Trams is the use of language. It’s the language, the descriptions, the play with words, and that Ivana Hrubá not only tells a story in a unique way, but also has fun with what could otherwise be a morose tale in the reading. Hrubá still shares difficult times, doesn’t make less of them, but she makes them lighter to read. After I finished it I took a moment to let the story set in, to absorb it, and I really feel her writing style is the winning factor. I found the story entertaining and humorous, the characters uniquely portrayed and fleshed out enough to be planted in one’s memory, and just enough depth in description of surroundings to paint a picture. I also really enjoyed the use of narration with the story not being told via first person in the sense of Vendula (the person we are following), but instead told by Franta who appears to be an imaginary friend. There are illustrations all through the book to show and emphasize the characters and the story itself. Some of them are quite comical, setting off the wonderful sense of humour, and some are just plain cute. Cabbage, Strudel, and Trams is something I’d recommend to those who have an interest in biography, Communist communities, and what it’s like to immigrate to a new culture, but only if those people appreciate a sense of humour and don’t want something that dwells on the downside.
Dutchie, Bookish Ardour, February 2011

Cabbage, Strudel and Trams (Part 2: West Germany)

 

Click here to download at Amazon.com

Part II: West Germany

An almost biographical but definitely riotous tale of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under.

Cabbage, Strudel & Trams tells the story of a young girl’s turbulent journey from childhood to adulthood, of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under. Narrated by Franta, an imaginary friend inhabiting the inner world of our young heroine Vendula, this satirical coming-of-age tale depicts the trials and tribulations of an ordinary Czech family living in a small mining town in communist Czechoslovakia in the early 1980s, their escape to West Germany and their resettlement in Australia.

The story begins when the combined household of Zhvuk & Dribbler is thrown into chaos by the untimely defection of Uncle Stan to West Germany. With nothing but their damaged political profile to lose, the family decides to eventually follow in Uncle Stan’s footsteps but not before puberty, free enterprise, unrequited love and things that only happen to other people shred our young heroine’s heart. With charm, poise and a little grace, Franta navigates Vendula through the pitfalls of her teenage years, guiding her to discover her own identity. As shenanigans gather momentum, Franta’s humorous insights into Vendula’s loopy family: the assertive mother, the henpecked father, the enterprising granddad, the blissful grandma, the dissenting uncle and his circle of ‘freedom fighting’ friends build a picture of the life of ordinary folk surviving the oppressive communist regime.

Well, even straw will eventually break the camel’s back. Following a trip to the almighty Soviet Onion where rows of empty shop windows reveal the future all too clearly, the family escapes to West Germany. Unexpectedly, the refugee camp, a colourless shapeless blur on the edge of a dark, dark forest where only goblins live, is a happy kind of place in which tobacco chewing, nose picking, throat clearing, the occasional riot, and plentiful and uninhibited sexual exploits are the order of the day. Of course, life is not all beer and crackers for our heroes; having carved out some sort of an existence in the camp, new challenges arise when the family arrives in Australia.

Review:
What grabbed me, kept me reading Cabbage, Strudel and Trams is the use of language. It’s the language, the descriptions, the play with words, and that Ivana Hrubá not only tells a story in a unique way, but also has fun with what could otherwise be a morose tale in the reading. Hrubá still shares difficult times, doesn’t make less of them, but she makes them lighter to read. After I finished it I took a moment to let the story set in, to absorb it, and I really feel her writing style is the winning factor. I found the story entertaining and humorous, the characters uniquely portrayed and fleshed out enough to be planted in one’s memory, and just enough depth in description of surroundings to paint a picture. I also really enjoyed the use of narration with the story not being told via first person in the sense of Vendula (the person we are following), but instead told by Franta who appears to be an imaginary friend. There are illustrations all through the book to show and emphasize the characters and the story itself. Some of them are quite comical, setting off the wonderful sense of humour, and some are just plain cute. Cabbage, Strudel, and Trams is something I’d recommend to those who have an interest in biography, Communist communities, and what it’s like to immigrate to a new culture, but only if those people appreciate a sense of humour and don’t want something that dwells on the downside.
Dutchie, Bookish Ardour, February 2011

Cabbage, Strudel and Trams (Part I: Czechoslovakia)

 

Click here to download at Amazon.com 

Part I: Czechoslovakia

An almost biographical but definitely riotous tale of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under.

Cabbage, Strudel & Trams tells the story of a young girl’s turbulent journey from childhood to adulthood, of adolescence begun behind the Iron Curtain, continued in a West German refugee camp and coming to a glorious end in the land Down Under. Narrated by Franta, an imaginary friend inhabiting the inner world of our young heroine Vendula, this satirical coming-of-age tale depicts the trials and tribulations of an ordinary Czech family living in a small mining town in communist Czechoslovakia in the early 1980s, their escape to West Germany and their resettlement in Australia.

The story begins when the combined household of Zhvuk & Dribbler is thrown into chaos by the untimely defection of Uncle Stan to West Germany. With nothing but their damaged political profile to lose, the family decides to eventually follow in Uncle Stan’s footsteps but not before puberty, free enterprise, unrequited love and things that only happen to other people shred our young heroine’s heart. With charm, poise and a little grace, Franta navigates Vendula through the pitfalls of her teenage years, guiding her to discover her own identity. As shenanigans gather momentum, Franta’s humorous insights into Vendula’s loopy family: the assertive mother, the henpecked father, the enterprising granddad, the blissful grandma, the dissenting uncle and his circle of ‘freedom fighting’ friends build a picture of the life of ordinary folk surviving the oppressive communist regime.

Well, even straw will eventually break the camel’s back. Following a trip to the almighty Soviet Onion where rows of empty shop windows reveal the future all too clearly, the family escapes to West Germany. Unexpectedly, the refugee camp, a colourless shapeless blur on the edge of a dark, dark forest where only goblins live, is a happy kind of place in which tobacco chewing, nose picking, throat clearing, the occasional riot, and plentiful and uninhibited sexual exploits are the order of the day. Of course, life is not all beer and crackers for our heroes; having carved out some sort of an existence in the camp, new challenges arise when the family arrives in Australia.

Review:
What grabbed me, kept me reading Cabbage, Strudel and Trams is the use of language. It’s the language, the descriptions, the play with words, and that Ivana Hrubá not only tells a story in a unique way, but also has fun with what could otherwise be a morose tale in the reading. Hrubá still shares difficult times, doesn’t make less of them, but she makes them lighter to read. After I finished it I took a moment to let the story set in, to absorb it, and I really feel her writing style is the winning factor. I found the story entertaining and humorous, the characters uniquely portrayed and fleshed out enough to be planted in one’s memory, and just enough depth in description of surroundings to paint a picture. I also really enjoyed the use of narration with the story not being told via first person in the sense of Vendula (the person we are following), but instead told by Franta who appears to be an imaginary friend. There are illustrations all through the book to show and emphasize the characters and the story itself. Some of them are quite comical, setting off the wonderful sense of humour, and some are just plain cute. Cabbage, Strudel, and Trams is something I’d recommend to those who have an interest in biography, Communist communities, and what it’s like to immigrate to a new culture, but only if those people appreciate a sense of humour and don’t want something that dwells on the downside.
Dutchie, Bookish Ardour, February 2011