Nikola the Outlaw (Literature in Translation)
Olbracht was an influential Czech author between  the two world wars whose espousal of communism made his  masterpiece, Nikola the Outlaw, required reading for all Czech  students during the Soviet period. Published in 1933, the novel  tells the story of World War I deserter Nikola Suhaj, a  Ruthenian peasant whose sole desire is to live in the mountains  with his beloved Erzika. When circumstances force him into  banditry, Nikola acquires a reputation as a local Robin Hood who  kills only in self-defense and robs only the wealthy. This  robust novel is full of folktales and folk wisdom. What makes it  an uncomfortable read is its blatant anti-Semitism. Nikola is an  outlaw less by volition than because of the maneuverings of a  local Jewish wine merchant who covets the Suhaj land but is  afraid to confiscate it while Nikola lives. Olbracht paints a  portrait of a hypocritical villain who prays daily, all the  while plotting Nikola's death. The venom with which everyone,  including the author, regards the Jewish community frighteningly  foreshadows the coming Holocaust.Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.