Jaroslav Seifert
Encyclopedia
Jaroslav Seifert (ˈjaroslaf ˈsajfr̩t; 23 September 1901 – 10 January 1986) was a Nobel Prize
winning Czech writer
, poet
and journalist
.
Born in Žižkov
, a suburb of Prague
in what was then part of Austria-Hungary
, his first collection of poems was published in 1921. He was a member of the Communist Party, the editor of a number of communist newspapers and magazines - Rovnost, Srsatec, and Reflektor - and the employee of a communist publishing house.
During the 1920s he was considered a leading representative of the Czechoslovakian artistic avant-garde. He was one of the founders of the journal Devětsil
. In March 1929, he and six other important communist writers left the Communist Party for signing a manifesto protesting against Bolshevik
tendencies in the new leadership of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
. He subsequently worked as a journalist in the social-democratic and trade union press during the 1930s and 1940s.
In 1949 Seifert left journalism and began to devote himself exclusively to literature. His poetry was awarded important state prizes in 1936, 1955, and 1968, and in 1967 he was designated National Artist. He was the official Chairman of the Czechoslovak Writer's Union for several years (1968–70). In 1977 he was one of the signatories of Charter 77
in opposition to the repressive regime of the time.
Seifert was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
in 1984. Due to bad health, he was not present at the award ceremony, and so his daughter received the Nobel Prize in his name. Even though it was a matter of great importance, there was only a brief remark of the award in the state-controlled media. He died in 1986 and was buried at the municipal cemetery in Kralupy nad Vltavou
(where his maternal grandparents originated from). His burial was marked by a high presence of secret police, who tried to suppress any hint of dissent on the part of mourners.
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winning Czech writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
.
Born in Žižkov
Žižkov
Žižkov is a cadastral district of Prague, Czech Republic. Most of Žižkov lies in the municipal and administrative district of Prague 3, except for very small parts which are in Prague 8 and Prague 10. Prior to 1922, Žižkov was an independent city....
, a suburb of 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...
in what was then part of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, his first collection of poems was published in 1921. He was a member of the Communist Party, the editor of a number of communist newspapers and magazines - Rovnost, Srsatec, and Reflektor - and the employee of a communist publishing house.
During the 1920s he was considered a leading representative of the Czechoslovakian artistic avant-garde. He was one of the founders of the journal Devětsil
Devetsil
The Devětsil was an association of Czech avant-garde artists, founded in 1920 in Prague. From 1923 on there was also an active group in Brno. The movement discontinued its activities in 1930 ....
. In March 1929, he and six other important communist writers left the Communist Party for signing a manifesto protesting against Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
tendencies in the new leadership of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
. He subsequently worked as a journalist in the social-democratic and trade union press during the 1930s and 1940s.
In 1949 Seifert left journalism and began to devote himself exclusively to literature. His poetry was awarded important state prizes in 1936, 1955, and 1968, and in 1967 he was designated National Artist. He was the official Chairman of the Czechoslovak Writer's Union for several years (1968–70). In 1977 he was one of the signatories of Charter 77
Charter 77
Charter 77 was an informal civic initiative in communist Czechoslovakia from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Václav Havel, Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, Jiří Hájek, and Pavel Kohout. Spreading the text of the document was...
in opposition to the repressive regime of the time.
Seifert was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
in 1984. Due to bad health, he was not present at the award ceremony, and so his daughter received the Nobel Prize in his name. Even though it was a matter of great importance, there was only a brief remark of the award in the state-controlled media. He died in 1986 and was buried at the municipal cemetery in Kralupy nad Vltavou
Kralupy nad Vltavou
Kralupy nad Vltavou is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 18,000 inhabitants. The city lies on the Vltava River some north of Prague, the capital of both the Czech Republic and the Central Bohemian Region...
(where his maternal grandparents originated from). His burial was marked by a high presence of secret police, who tried to suppress any hint of dissent on the part of mourners.
Works
- Město v slzách (1921)
- Samá láska (1923)
- Na vlnách TSF (1925)
- Slavík zpívá špatně (1926)
- Básně (1929)
- Poštovní holub (1929)
- Hvězdy nad Rajskou zahradou (1929)
- Jablko z klína (1933)
- Ruce Venušiny (1936)
- Jaro sbohen (1937)
- Zhasněte světla (1938)
- Vějíř Boženy Němcové (1940)
- Světlem oděná (1940)
- Kamenný most (1944)
- Přilba z hlíny (1945)
- Ruka a plamen (1948)
- Šel malíř chudě do světa (1949)
- Píseň o Viktorce (1950)
- Maminka (1954)
- Chlapec a hvězdy (1956)
- Praha a Věnec sonetů (1956)
- Zrnka révy (1965)
- Koncert na ostrově (1965)
- Odlévání zvonů (1967)
- Halleyova kometa (1967)
- Kniha o Praze (1968)
- Morový sloup (1968-1970)
- Deštník z Picadilly (1979)
- Všecky krásy světa (1979)
- Býti básníkem (1983)
External links
- Nobel biography
- Photos
- Biography (in Czech)
- Authorised English translation of Seifert's crown of sonnetsCrown of sonnetsA crown of sonnets or sonnet corona is a sequence of sonnets, usually addressed to some one person, and/or concerned with a single theme....
by Jan KřesadloJan KresadloJan Křesadlo was the primary pseudonym used by Václav Jaroslav Karel Pinkava , a Czech psychologist who was also a prizewinning novelist and poet.... - The Poetry of Jaroslav Seifert Translated by Edward Osers
- Jaroslav Seifert - Poetry
- Jaroslav Seifert eNotes
- Timeline of Nobel Winners