Josef Holecek (writer)
Encyclopedia
Josef Holeček was a Czech writer
of the realism
and ruralism movements who wrote about his native South Bohemian Region
, a journalist and translator.
He studied in Písek
, České Budějovice
and Tábor
(the oldest park there is named after him Holečkovy sady) and since 1926 there is his monument there.
Having befriended several South Slavs
in Tábor, he became interested in their folklore
and also in literature, art and history in general. After his studies, he worked in Zagreb
and in 1875 he became a correspondent of the Prague newspaper Národní listy in the Balkans
. He was a Slavic patriot; in 1887 he visited Russia
and in 1889 he travelled through Anatolia
and visited Istanbul
.
which can salve the bad things.
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....
of the realism
Realism (arts)
Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...
and ruralism movements who wrote about his native South Bohemian Region
South Bohemian Region
South Bohemian Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia...
, a journalist and translator.
He studied in Písek
Písek
Písek is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has a population of 29 909 .-About:Písek is usually called "The Athens of the South", although Athens is much more southerly, because it has many high schools and schools of higher education, e.g. the Film School in Písek...
, České Budějovice
Ceské Budejovice
České Budějovice is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region and is the political and commercial capital of the region and centre of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice and of the University of South Bohemia and the Academy of Sciences...
and Tábor
Tábor
Tábor is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.The town was...
(the oldest park there is named after him Holečkovy sady) and since 1926 there is his monument there.
Having befriended several South Slavs
South Slavs
The South Slavs are the southern branch of the Slavic peoples and speak South Slavic languages. Geographically, the South Slavs are native to the Balkan peninsula, the southern Pannonian Plain and the eastern Alps...
in Tábor, he became interested in their folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and also in literature, art and history in general. After his studies, he worked in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
and in 1875 he became a correspondent of the Prague newspaper Národní listy in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. He was a Slavic patriot; in 1887 he visited Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and in 1889 he travelled through Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
and visited Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
Works
His work focuses on the life in the countryside and emphasizes the power of loveLove
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
which can salve the bad things.
Fiction and non-fiction
- Černá Hora (Montenegro)
- Černá Hora v míru (Montenegro during peace times)
- Nekrvavé obrázky z vojny (Bloodless pictures from the war) - feuilletonFeuilletonFeuilleton was originally a kind of supplement attached to the political portion of French newspapers, consisting chiefly of non-political news and gossip, literature and art criticism, a chronicle of the latest fashions, and epigrams, charades and other literary trifles...
s which portray the nonsensical Austrian militarism; their style anticipates Švejk. - Za svobodu (For Freedom)
- Junácké kresby černohorské (Sketches of Montenegro heroism)
- Zájezd na Rus (Journey to Russia)
- Ruskočeské kapitoly (Russo-Czech Chapters)
- Podejme ruku Slovákům! (Let's offer hand to Slovaks!) – an attempt to solve problems between Czech and Slovak intellectuals which found many followers
- Naši (Our people) – a ten-part chronicle in twelve books (1897 - 1930) which describes the life in the village of Stožice in the 19th century; unfinished.
- Jak u nás lidé žijou a umírají (How our people live and die) – a peasant portryed as a symbol of the national virtues; unlike in other writers' works, not only because he speaks Czech, but also because Holeček well understood the importance of the village life.
- Frantík a Bartoň
- Tragédie Julia Grégra (Tragedy of Julius Grégr)
- Pero (Pen) – memoirs
Translations
- Písně hercegovské (Songs of Herzegovina)
- Srbská národní epika (Serbian National Epic Poetry)
- KalevalaKalevalaThe Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
– his translation (which keeps the original rhythm) is still the only Czech one. It was the first full translation of this epic poem into a Slavic languageSlavic languagesThe Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
. Holeček was inspired to translate the work as he was generally interested in the art of the "small nations" (Josef Holeček, 1915 ). With the help of Leopold Geitler and Bohuslav Čermák (amanuensisAmanuensisAmanuensis is a Latin word adopted in various languages, including English, for certain persons performing a function by hand, either writing down the words of another or performing manual labour...
in the Prague library) he learned FinnishFinnish languageFinnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
from Finnish-German vocabularies found in LeipzigLeipzigLeipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
secondhand bookstores and from the 1818 German grammar book Finnische Sprachlehre für Finnen un Nicht-Finnen... by Johan Strahlmann which they found in Prague, as there was no bookshop connection between Prague and ScandinaviaScandinaviaScandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
then. The translation was published at Holeček's own expense (and a grant of 500 zlatýAustro-Hungarian guldenThe Gulden or forint was the currency of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1754 and 1892 when it was replaced by the Krone/korona as part of the introduction of the gold standard. In Austria, the Gulden was initially divided into 60 Kreuzer, and in Hungary, the...
from the Royal Czech Society of SciencesRoyal Czech Society of SciencesThe Royal Czech Society of Sciences was established in 1784 to be the scientific center for Czech Crown lands. It was succeeded by the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in 1952, and finally became what is known today as the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in 1992.-History:The Society was...
) between 1894 and 1895.