Survey: A third of Czechs never read books on mandatory list

About one-third of Czechs never read the books on their high school’s list of compulsory literature while roughly another third say the assigned books discouraged them from reading in general, according to a poll by the internet bookstore Martinus.cz.

Among the least read books on traditional compulsory lists include the Czech classics “Grandmother” by Božena Němcová and “The Good Soldier Švejk” by Jaroslav Hašek. The most widely read works include poems by Karel Jaromír Erben and Jan Neruda.

About 90 percent of Czechs polled agreed that compulsory reading in schools should remain in place, Jitka Macounová of Martinus.cz told the Czech News Agency.

Author: Brian Kenety