Egon Hostovský
Encyclopedia
Egon Hostovský was a Czech
writer. He was related to the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig
. Hostovský described Zweig as "a very distant relative"; some sources describe them as cousins.
He studied at the gymnasium
in Náchod
in 1927, then philosophy
in Prague
and at university in Vienna
in 1929, but did not graduate.
He returned to Prague in 1930 and worked as an editor in several publishing houses.
In 1937 Hostovský joined the Czech
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in 1939 he was posted to Brussels
, from where, after the occupation of Czechoslovakia on 15 March 1939, he emigrated to Paris
. After Paris was occupied in 1940, he fled to Portugal
and then, in 1941, travelled to the United States of America, where he worked in New York
at the Czechoslovakian consulate.
His father, sisters, and their families died in concentration camps.
After World War II
he returned to Czechoslovakia and again worked at the Foreign Ministry, but in 1948 he travelled to Denmark
, and then to Norway
and finally to the United States, where he worked as a Czech language
teacher and later as a journalist and editor at Radio Free Europe
. Several of his novels, including The Midnight Patient and Three Nights, were translated in the late 1950s and early 1960s by Philip Hillyer Smith, Jr., a scholar of linguistics and the Czech language.
After Hostovský's death, a literary prize -- the Egon Hostovský Prize -- was founded in his name by his third wife. Their son Paul (b. 1959) is a poet
Before his first emigration his work was influenced by expressionism
.
His work is included in:
Hundred towers: a Czechoslovak anthology of creative writing, L. B. Fischer, 1945
The Jews of Czechoslovakia, Philadelphia and New York, 1971, pp-148-154: Hostovský contributed a chapter (“The Czech-Jewish Movement”).
References to him are made in the following books:
Lexikon české literatury : osobnosti, díla, instituce, Vladimír Forst et al. Praha : Academia, 1993. 589pp. ISBN 80-200-0468-8.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
writer. He was related to the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig
Stefan Zweig
Stefan Zweig was an Austrian novelist, playwright, journalist and biographer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most famous writers in the world.- Biography :...
. Hostovský described Zweig as "a very distant relative"; some sources describe them as cousins.
He studied at the gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Náchod
Náchod
Náchod -History:Náchod was founded in 14th century by knight Hron of Načeradice, who founded a castle on a strategical place, where local trade road reaches the defile called Branka. The first written note dates back to 1254.-Castle:...
in 1927, then philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and at university in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1929, but did not graduate.
He returned to Prague in 1930 and worked as an editor in several publishing houses.
In 1937 Hostovský joined the Czech
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in 1939 he was posted to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, from where, after the occupation of Czechoslovakia on 15 March 1939, he emigrated to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. After Paris was occupied in 1940, he fled to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and then, in 1941, travelled to the United States of America, where he worked in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at the Czechoslovakian consulate.
His father, sisters, and their families died in concentration camps.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he returned to Czechoslovakia and again worked at the Foreign Ministry, but in 1948 he travelled to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, and then to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and finally to the United States, where he worked as a Czech language
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
teacher and later as a journalist and editor at Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
. Several of his novels, including The Midnight Patient and Three Nights, were translated in the late 1950s and early 1960s by Philip Hillyer Smith, Jr., a scholar of linguistics and the Czech language.
After Hostovský's death, a literary prize -- the Egon Hostovský Prize -- was founded in his name by his third wife. Their son Paul (b. 1959) is a poet
Works
His work is influenced by his Jewish origin and exile. His literary heroes fight (inner) evil, due to political situation are forced to leave their country and search for lost certainties and roots.Before his first emigration his work was influenced by expressionism
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
.
- Zavřené dveře – 1926
- Stezka podél cesty – 1928, psychological novel
- Gheto v nich – 1928
- Danajský dar – 1930
- Případ profesora Kornera – 1932
- Černá tlupa – 1933
- Žhář – 1935
- Listy z vyhnanství – 1941
- Sedmkrát v hlavní úloze – 1942, a novel
- Úkryt – 1943
- Cizinec hledá byt – 1947
- Nezvěstný – 1951
- Půlnoční pacient (The Midnight Patient) – 1954
- Dobročinný večírek – 1957
- Všeobecné spiknutí – 1961 partly autobiographical
- Literární dobrodružství českého spisovatele v cizině – 1966
- Tři noci – 1964
- Epidemie – 1972
- Osvoboditel se vrací – 1972, drama
His work is included in:
Hundred towers: a Czechoslovak anthology of creative writing, L. B. Fischer, 1945
The Jews of Czechoslovakia, Philadelphia and New York, 1971, pp-148-154: Hostovský contributed a chapter (“The Czech-Jewish Movement”).
References to him are made in the following books:
Lexikon české literatury : osobnosti, díla, instituce, Vladimír Forst et al. Praha : Academia, 1993. 589pp. ISBN 80-200-0468-8.