Closely Watched Trains: Bohumil Hrabal (Penguin Archive)

90 Classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin BooksClosely Watched Trains tells the story of Milo¿ Hrma, a young railroad apprentice coming of age in wartime Czechoslovakia. Milo¿ is overwhelmed with worries - about his virginity, his love for the conductor, and ongoing scandals in the stationmaster's office - besides which the idea of fighting the Germans seems a simple affair. Poignant, humorous and the inspiration behind the 1966 Academy Award-winning film, this is a small masterpiece from one of the best Czech writers of the twentieth century.