This equestrian statue by Karel Nepraš was installed in the Žižkov district of Prague, Czech Republic in 2005, having been completed by Karolína Neprašová after her father’s death. It is located in an area where Hašek lived during writing of his famous novel The Good Soldier Švejk.
The Good Soldier Švejk is an unfinished satirical dark comedy novel published in 1921–1923, about a good-humored, simple-minded, middle-aged man who appears to be enthusiastic to serve Austria-Hungary in World War I. The novel deals with broad anti-war themes, exploring the pointlessness and futility of conflict in general and of military discipline, Austrian military discipline in particular. Many of its characters, especially the Czechs, are participating in a conflict they do not understand on behalf of an empire to which they have no loyalty. Joseph Heller said that if he had not read The Good Soldier Švejk, he would never have written his novel Catch-22.
