English Translation

The 16 party official examination committee at the Reichsproteftor in Bohemia and Prague, 3.7.41 Moravia t/a To the State Secretary at the H a u s e Subject: Oskar W ö h l e "Jan Hus", Czech edition. Our surveys have shown that the above mentioned writing is still available in all bookshops of the Protectorate in their Czech edition . In a review of the Czech edition, it was noted: S The German author drew in his historical novel in juicy depiction a cultural image of the figures and the environment for the final phase of the Huss process before the Konstanz Council. In doing so, he has dealt in detail with the signs of the crime - which cannot be denied in themselves - in particular on the German side, and has still considerably exaggerated them several times through freely invented episodes (e.g. especially with regard to the figure of Emperor Sigismund and his wife, the German Knights' Order), such as the seduction of a Czech noble boy by the Empress (page 96), the beating of the Emperor by a city soldier (page 2l4). Huss and his friends are presented as ideal fanatics of faith and truth against this exaggerated realistic description of the German players, and the likeable German figures (Dom-dechant, Lucia) are inclined towards them. In this unmistakable schematic black and white drawing, it is unnecessary to point out historical violations in detail. Rather, it seems crucial that this presentation, by one-sidedly emphasizing and exaggerating the German moral decline of that time, is suitable in many places in the Czech translation, to make the Germans described to the Czechs appear ridiculous and decadent and to almost also arouse anti-German orders (page lo: about the activities of the German Order). It seems expedient to me that the literature section of the cultural policy division determines the rest of the writing at the publishing house and that further editions are prevented. doub