Confessions of a Hapless Hedonist
by Ernest Kolowrat
Category: Czech Americans

CONFESSIONS OF A HAPLESS HEDONISTAn Inconvenient Discovery about the Meaning of PleasureConfessions of a Hapless Hedonist is a lighthearted first-hand account about the seductive perils of our time. Ranging over a century of intimate foibles and world events, it is the true story of an outlandish family forced to abandon a life of wealth and privilege in Europe after World War II, and start anew in the United States. Within the framework of this transition played out on both sides of the Atlantic is the drama of the narrator's devotion to the unbridled pursuit of pleasure - and his wrenching discovery of a more subtle but no less compelling imperative. Endowed with a sensual predisposition from early childhood, the narrator is far too ready to subordinate personal and professional integrity to his hedonistic quest. As he is increasingly able to partake of the bounties offered by living in the United States - this Garden of Eden that has no forbidden trees - he also becomes increasingly aware of the less heralded consequences for him and millions of others of his ilk. "Are we doomed always to live in a world where we suffered and died because there wasn't enough," he reflects ruefully, "or in a world where we suffered and died because we failed to learn how to handle plenitude?" Confessions of a Hapless Hedonist sparkles with the colorful characters of the narrator's relatives: his father, transformed by his adopted country from Mr. Count to a salesman of Exercycles; his sister Manya, a proselytizing charismatic Christian married to a hotelier on Cape Cod; his aunt Issten, exiled years ago to a penurious existence in a dilapidated chateau in France after engaging in an extra-marital affair with a noted American black to create a more compassionate world; Albrecht, Issten's long-suffering son laboring quixotically in his privileged retreat in the Austrian Tyrol to save humanity from its excesses; and Princess Stephanie, Albrecht's enchanting daughter whose relentless quest for romantic love leaves even her unconventional grandmother, Issten, aghast. There is also God, whether in the guise of the stern but just Yahweh of Abraham or Manya's gentle, ever-forgiving Jesus Christ. Beyond its distinctive autobiographical story line, Confessions of a Hapless Hedonist is an uncontrived morality tale that offers a mirror for those who would subscribe to the popular mantra of our day, "You only go around once; so grab all the pleasures you can!" The unabashed abandon of the book's first part, In Quest of Pleasure, and the emotional immediacy of the second part, In Quest of Redemption, combine to reflect the mounting clash between the unconstrained desires of our materialistic civilization and the reactive dictates of fundamentalism. The global scope of Confessions of a Hapless Hedonist implicitly offers a palatable alternative and should serve as a spiritual "red alert" at this critical juncture in history."The author has succeeded in reaching a depth of feeling and expression that few writers even know about, much less arrive at."- Lewis H. Lapham Editor, Harper's Magazine"Tender, funny, touching and true - a unique page-turner."- Stephen Birmingham Author, Our Crowd