Three Novels: Hordubal, Meteor, An Ordinary Life by Karel Capek

The Czech master’s Noetic Trilogy

Novelist and playwright Karel Capek (1890-1938) is one of the most highly regarded authors in Czech literature. He is probably best known to English-language readers for his science fiction works R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) and War of the Newts, but his literary work extended far beyond that genre to include political and philosophical novels, travel writing, and more. From 1933 to 1934 Capek published three novels—Hordubal, Meteor, and An Ordinary Life—that formed what he called his “Noetic Trilogy.” Shortly after their Czech publication, these three novels appeared in English translation. An English-language collection of the entire trilogy in one volume, entitled Three Novels, was first published in 1948.

The three novels in the Noetic Trilogy do not share any common characters or plot continuity. They are only related thematically by Capek’s literary and philosophical objectives. The word “noetic” is derived from “nous,” a philosophical term going back to ancient Greece that denotes the faculty of the human mind that allows for rational thought and understanding. It has also been used as a synonym for insight, intuition, or common sense. Capek’s concern with nous involves the understanding of a human life, either through the consciousness of self or the memory of others. Each book in the Noetic Trilogy shows how the experience or impact of a human life is viewed and constructed differently through differing perspectives. Through the fictional biography of each protagonist, Capek shows that the sum total of an individual’s life is more a kaleidoscope of possible interpretations than a linear narrative.

In Hordubal, a Czech farmer returns home to his wife and daughter after eight years working as a miner in American, only to find that a hired hand has usurped much of his authority as landowner, husband, and father. The narrative of Hordubal is related partly through third-person prose and partly through Hordubal’s first-person interior monologue, as well as a portion of the story being told through the dry prose of a police report or legal briefing. Each relativistic account sheds new light on events and calls into question the reliability of any firm interpretation.

Meteor is the story of a plane crash survivor who fell from the sky in a ball of fire. Badly burnt and unconscious, the patient bears no indications of his identity, leaving hospital staff and other patients to construct one for him out of limited evidence and much speculation. The third novel, An Ordinary Life, purports to be exactly what its title suggests. A dying man sets out to write the autobiography of his “ordinary” life. As the narrative progresses, however, different aspects of his personality are revealed through which conflicting internal accounts of his actions emerge.

Although Meteor is not quite as outstanding as the other two novels, all three books are well worth reading. Three Novels also includes a brief afterword by Capek explaining how each novel fits into the Noetic Trilogy, but it is very brief and still leaves much open to interpretation. An introduction by William Harkins also sheds some light on the epistemological foundations of the trilogy. Like fellow Czech Franz Kafka (who wrote in German), Capek produced intellectually challenging literature that deals with deep psychological and existential themes. Three Novels is a formidable literary hat trick that proves his work deserves to be better known among English-language readers.

Works in this collection

Hordubal 

Meteor 

An Ordinary Life 

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