Jan Kresadlo
Encyclopedia
Jan Křesadlo (ˈjan ˈkr̝ɛsadlo) was the primary pseudonym used by Václav Jaroslav Karel Pinkava (ˈvaːtslaf ˈjaroslaf ˈkarɛl ˈpɪŋkava) (December 9, 1926 in Prague
- August 13, 1995 in Colchester
), a Czech
psychologist
who was also a prizewinning novelist and poet
.
An anti-communist, Pinkava emigrated to Britain with his wife and four children following the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia
by the Soviet-led armies of the Warsaw pact. He worked as a clinical psychologist until his early retirement in 1982, when he turned to full-time writing. His first novel "Mrchopěvci" (GraveLarks) was published by Josef Škvorecký's
emigre publishing house 68 Publishers
, and earned the 1984 Egon Hostovský
prize.
He chose his pseudonym (which means firesteel
) partly because it contains the uniquely Czech sound ř
; in addition, he was fond of creating more pseudonyms such as Jake Rolands (an anagram), J. K. Klement (after his grandfather, for translations into English), Juraj Hron (for his Slovak-Moravian writings), Ferdinand Lučovický z Lučovic a na Suchým dole (for his music), Kamil Troud (for his illustrations), and more.
Pinkava was also active in choral music, composing (among others) a Glagolitic Mass
. As well, he worked in mathematical logic
, discovering the many-valued logic algebra which bears his name.
A polymath
and polyglot
, Pinkava was fond of setting intense goals for himself, such as translating Jaroslav Seifert
's interwoven sonnet cycle
about Prague, 'A Wreath of Sonnets'
. He published a collection of his own poems in seven languages. Perhaps his most staggering achievement is ἈΣΤΡΟΝΑΥΤΙΛΊΑ (Astronautilia) Hvězdoplavba, a 6575-line science fiction
epic poem
, an odyssey in classical Homeric Greek
, with its parallel hexameter
translation into Czech. This was published shortly after his death, in a limited edition. (ISBN 80-237-2452-5)
At the time of writing only his first, prize-winning novel has been published in English translation, as GraveLarks (ISBN 80-86013-81-2)
He is the father of film director Jan Pinkava
who received an Oscar for Geri's Game
in 1998.
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...
- August 13, 1995 in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
), a Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
who was also a prizewinning novelist and 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...
.
An anti-communist, Pinkava emigrated to Britain with his wife and four children following the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
by the Soviet-led armies of the Warsaw pact. He worked as a clinical psychologist until his early retirement in 1982, when he turned to full-time writing. His first novel "Mrchopěvci" (GraveLarks) was published by Josef Škvorecký's
Josef Škvorecký
Josef Škvorecký, CM is a leading contemporary Czech writer and publisher who has spent much of his life in Canada. He and his wife were long-time supporters of Czech dissident writers before the fall of communism in that country...
emigre publishing house 68 Publishers
68 Publishers
68 Publishers, also called Sixty-Eight Publishers, Sixtyeight Publishers, or even Nakladatelství 68 , was a publishing house formed in Toronto in 1971 by Czech expatriate Josef Škvorecký and his wife Zdena Salivarová...
, and earned the 1984 Egon Hostovský
Egon Hostovský
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....
prize.
He chose his pseudonym (which means firesteel
Firesteel
A Fire striker is a piece of high-carbon steel used for striking a spark, usually kept in a tinderbox together with flint and tinder.-Usage:...
) partly because it contains the uniquely Czech sound ř
R
R is the eighteenth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The original Semitic letter may have been inspired by an Egyptian hieroglyph for tp, "head". It was used for by Semites because in their language, the word for "head" was rêš . It developed into Greek Ρ and Latin R...
; in addition, he was fond of creating more pseudonyms such as Jake Rolands (an anagram), J. K. Klement (after his grandfather, for translations into English), Juraj Hron (for his Slovak-Moravian writings), Ferdinand Lučovický z Lučovic a na Suchým dole (for his music), Kamil Troud (for his illustrations), and more.
Pinkava was also active in choral music, composing (among others) a Glagolitic Mass
Glagolitic Mass
The Glagolitic Mass is a composition for soloists , double chorus, organ and orchestra by Leoš Janáček. The work was completed on 15 October 1926...
. As well, he worked in mathematical logic
Mathematical logic
Mathematical logic is a subfield of mathematics with close connections to foundations of mathematics, theoretical computer science and philosophical logic. The field includes both the mathematical study of logic and the applications of formal logic to other areas of mathematics...
, discovering the many-valued logic algebra which bears his name.
A polymath
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
and polyglot
Polyglot (person)
A polyglot is someone with a high degree of proficiency in several languages. A bilingual person can speak two languages fluently, whereas a trilingual three; above that the term multilingual may be used.-Hyperpolyglot:...
, Pinkava was fond of setting intense goals for himself, such as translating Jaroslav Seifert
Jaroslav Seifert
Jaroslav Seifert 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...
's interwoven sonnet cycle
Sonnet cycle
A sonnet cycle is a group of sonnets, arranged to address a particular person or theme, and designed to be read both as a collection of fully realized individual poems and as a single poetic work comprising all the individual sonnets....
about Prague, 'A Wreath of Sonnets'
Crown of sonnets
A crown of sonnets or sonnet corona is a sequence of sonnets, usually addressed to some one person, and/or concerned with a single theme....
. He published a collection of his own poems in seven languages. Perhaps his most staggering achievement is ἈΣΤΡΟΝΑΥΤΙΛΊΑ (Astronautilia) Hvězdoplavba, a 6575-line science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
epic poem
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
, an odyssey in classical Homeric Greek
Homeric Greek
Homeric Greek is the form of the Greek language that was used by Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey. It is an archaic version of Ionic Greek, with admixtures from certain other dialects, such as Aeolic Greek. It later served as the basis of Epic Greek, the language of epic poetry, typically in...
, with its parallel hexameter
Hexameter
Hexameter is a metrical line of verse consisting of six feet. It was the standard epic metre in classical Greek and Latin literature, such as in the Iliad and Aeneid. Its use in other genres of composition include Horace's satires, and Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to Greek mythology, hexameter...
translation into Czech. This was published shortly after his death, in a limited edition. (ISBN 80-237-2452-5)
At the time of writing only his first, prize-winning novel has been published in English translation, as GraveLarks (ISBN 80-86013-81-2)
He is the father of film director Jan Pinkava
Jan Pinkava
Dr. Jan Jaroslav Pinkava, Ph.D. is the director and writer of the Pixar Oscar-winning 1997 short film Geri's Game and the originator and co-director of Pixar's Oscar-winning 2007 film Ratatouille....
who received an Oscar for Geri's Game
Geri's Game
Geri's Game is a five-minute animated short film made by Pixar in 1997, written and directed by Jan Pinkava. It was the first Pixar Short created after Toy Story, the previous short being Knick Knack in 1989....
in 1998.
External links
- Jan Křesadlo's official website, in Czech and English
- English links for easy reference:
- a couple of Critics' views, in English
- About Astronautilia
- About his Scientific works