The Greengrocer and His TV ─ The Culture of Communism After the 1968 Prague Spring

After the 1968 Soviet invasion brought an end to Czechoslovakia's Prague Spring, the country's "normalization" regime deployed television stars against political dissidents as a part of its defense of socialist order. In this history of late communism in Czechoslovakia, Bren (History, Vassar College) shows how state-endorsed ideologies were played out on television, particularly in the form of soap opera-like serials. Moving between the small screen, the street, and the Communist Party Central Committee, the author examines how the average citizen experienced "normalization" and the ways in which popular television serials such as The Woman Behind the Counter and The Thirty Adventures of Major Zeman framed this experience. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)