Ludvík Kundera
Encyclopedia
Ludvík Kundera was a Czech writer, translator, poet, playwright, editor and literary historian. He was a notable exponent of the Czech avant-garde
literature and a prolific translator of German authors
. In 2007, he received the Medal of Merit for service to the Republic. In 2009, he was awarded the Jaroslav Seifert
Award, presented by the Charter 77
Foundation. Kundera was a cousin of Czech-French writer Milan Kundera
.
, Czechoslovakia. He studied at the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University in Prague
and later continued his studies at the Masaryk University
in Brno
. During the World War II
, he was abducted to a forced labour in Germany
. After the war, he was engaged as an editor in newspapers and magazines Blok, Rovnost and Host do domu. In 1945, he co-founded surrealist
group Skupina RA (Group RA). His first book of poetry, Konstantina, was published in 1946. The same year he befriended poet František Halas
, whom he considered to be his teacher and mentor. From the mid 1950s he has concentrated solely on writing and translating. From 1968 to 1970 he worked as a dramaturgist in the Mahen Theatre
, a part of the National Theatre in Brno
. Additionally, he collaborated with the National Theatre as a playwright. In 2005, Mahen Theatre premiéred his play about Czech composer Leoš Janáček
.
During the period of normalization
(in the 1970s and '80s) Kundera was banned from being published. He left the Mahen Theatre in reaction to the dismissal of his collaborators, who openly expressed disagreement with the political transformation in Czechoslovakia after the Prague Spring
. Because of that, he himself became undesirable for communist regime. In 1970 he was expelled from the Communist Party
and gradually lost the possibility to continue his cultural activities in Czechoslovakia. To continue his work, he was forced to use pseudonym
s. From the 1970s he was an initiator and coordinator of the samizdat
publishing activities in the Czechoslovakia. He focused mainly on translations of German authors, such as Heinrich Böll
, Berthold Brecht and Hans Arp. Additionally, he translated important expressionist and dadaist works. A significant part of his work was devoted to the literature of German Romanticism
.
Kundera spent a large part of his life in the Moravia
n town of Kunštát
. He died in Boskovice
.
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
literature and a prolific translator of German authors
German literature
German literature comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German part of Switzerland, and to a lesser extent works of the German diaspora. German literature of the modern period is mostly in Standard German, but there...
. In 2007, he received the Medal of Merit for service to the Republic. In 2009, he was awarded the 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...
Award, presented by the 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...
Foundation. Kundera was a cousin of Czech-French writer Milan Kundera
Milan Kundera
Milan Kundera , born 1 April 1929, is a writer of Czech origin who has lived in exile in France since 1975, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1981. He is best known as the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, and The Joke. Kundera has written in...
.
Biography
Kundera was born in BrnoBrno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
, Czechoslovakia. He studied at the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
and later continued his studies at the Masaryk University
Masaryk University
Masaryk University is the second largest university in the Czech Republic, a member of the Compostela Group and the Utrecht Network. Founded in 1919 in Brno as the third Czech university , it now consists of nine faculties and 42,182 students...
in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
. During the 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 was abducted to a forced labour in Germany
Forced labor in Germany during World War II
The use of forced labour in Nazi Germany and throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II took place on an unprecedented scale. It was a vital part of the German economic exploitation of conquered territories. It also contributed to the mass extermination of populations in German-occupied...
. After the war, he was engaged as an editor in newspapers and magazines Blok, Rovnost and Host do domu. In 1945, he co-founded surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
group Skupina RA (Group RA). His first book of poetry, Konstantina, was published in 1946. The same year he befriended poet František Halas
František Halas
František Halas was one of the most significant Czech lyric poets of the 20th century, an essayist, and a translator.- Life :...
, whom he considered to be his teacher and mentor. From the mid 1950s he has concentrated solely on writing and translating. From 1968 to 1970 he worked as a dramaturgist in the Mahen Theatre
Mahen Theatre
Mahen Theatre is a Czech theatre situated in the city of Brno. Mahen Theatre, built as German Deutsches Stadttheater in 1882, was one of the first public buildings in the world lit entirely by electric light...
, a part of the National Theatre in Brno
National Theatre (Brno)
The National Theatre in Brno is the major theatre house in Brno. It was established in 1884 by model of the National Theatre in Prague.Nowadays it consists of three stages:...
. Additionally, he collaborated with the National Theatre as a playwright. In 2005, Mahen Theatre premiéred his play about Czech composer Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janácek
Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
.
During the period of normalization
Normalization (Czechoslovakia)
In the history of Czechoslovakia, normalization is a name commonly given to the period 1969 to about 1987. It was characterized by initial restoration of the conditions prevailing before the reform period led by Alexander Dubček , first of all, the firm rule of the Communist Party of...
(in the 1970s and '80s) Kundera was banned from being published. He left the Mahen Theatre in reaction to the dismissal of his collaborators, who openly expressed disagreement with the political transformation in Czechoslovakia after the Prague Spring
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...
. Because of that, he himself became undesirable for communist regime. In 1970 he was expelled from the Communist Party
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....
and gradually lost the possibility to continue his cultural activities in Czechoslovakia. To continue his work, he was forced to use pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s. From the 1970s he was an initiator and coordinator of the samizdat
Samizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...
publishing activities in the Czechoslovakia. He focused mainly on translations of German authors, such as Heinrich Böll
Heinrich Böll
Heinrich Theodor Böll was one of Germany's foremost post-World War II writers. Böll was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize in 1967 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972.- Biography :...
, Berthold Brecht and Hans Arp. Additionally, he translated important expressionist and dadaist works. A significant part of his work was devoted to the literature of German Romanticism
German Romanticism
For the general context, see Romanticism.In the philosophy, art, and culture of German-speaking countries, German Romanticism was the dominant movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. German Romanticism developed relatively late compared to its English counterpart, coinciding in its...
.
Kundera spent a large part of his life in the Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
n town of Kunštát
Kunštát
Kunštát is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 2,600 inhabitants.Villages Hluboké u Kunštátu, Rudka, Sychotín, Touboř and Újezd are administrative parts of Kunštát....
. He died in Boskovice
Boskovice
Boskovice is a town in the Czech Republic.-Location:The town is situated in the Drahanská Highlands, about 30–40 km to the north of Brno, the most important city of Moravia.-History:...
.
Work
- Konstantina, 1946
- Živly v nás, 1946
- Napospas aneb Přísloví pro kočku, 1947
- Letní kniha přání a stížností, 1962
- Totální kuropění, 1962
- Tolik cejchů, 1966
- Fragment, 1967
- Nežert, 1967
- Odjezd, 1967
- Labyrint světa a lusthauz srdce, 1983
- Dada (Jazzpetit č. 13), 1983
- Chameleon, 1984
- Hruden, 1985
- Královna Dagmar, 1988
- Ptaní, 1990
- Napříč Fantomázií, 1991
- Malé radosti, 1991
- Ztráty a nálezy, 1991
- Pády, 1992
- Spád věcí a jiné básně, 1992
- Řečiště, 1993
Translations
- Nobi, Ludwig RennLudwig RennLudwig Renn was a German writer. His real name was Arnold Friedrich Vieth von Golßenau.Born in Dresden into a Saxon noble family, he fought in World War I on the Western Front. He wrote the book Krieg on his experiences...
, Prague, Státní nakladatelství dětské knihy 1957. - Země snivců (Die andere Seite) Alfred KubinAlfred KubinAlfred Leopold Isidor Kubin was an Austrian printmaker, illustrator and occasional writer. Kubin is considered an important representative of Symbolism and Expressionism.-Biography:...
; R, Nakladatelství mladých, KladnoKladnoKladno is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It is located 25 km northwest of Prague. Kladno is the largest city of the region and holds a population together with its adjacent suburban areas of more than 110,000 people...
1947 - Proměna (Die Fahrt nach Stalingrad) Franz FühmannFranz FühmannFranz Fühmann was a German writer. He lived and worked as a short story writer, essayist and children's book author in East Germany...
, Prague, Naše vojsko 1957. - Trini, Ludwig RennLudwig RennLudwig Renn was a German writer. His real name was Arnold Friedrich Vieth von Golßenau.Born in Dresden into a Saxon noble family, he fought in World War I on the Western Front. He wrote the book Krieg on his experiences...
, Prague, Mladá fronta 1957. - Mrtví nestárnou, (Die Toten bleiben jung), Anna SeghersAnna SeghersAnna Seghers was a German writer famous for depicting the moral experience of the Second World War.- Life :...
, Prague, SNKLHU 1957. - Nox et solitudo (Nox et solitudo), Ivan KraskoIvan KraskoIvan Krasko was a Slovak poet, translator and representative of modernism in Slovakia....
, Prague, SNKLHU 1958. - Píseň o lásce a smrti korneta Kryštofa Rilka, Rainer Maria RilkeRainer Maria RilkeRené Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke , better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was a Bohemian–Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most significant poets in the German language...
, Prague, Naše vojsko 1958. - Myšlenky (selection), Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
Prague, Československý spisovatel 1958. - Dvanáct nocí, Peter HuchelPeter HuchelPeter Huchel , born Hellmut Huchel, was a German poet.-Life:Huchel was born in Lichterfelde near Berlin. From 1923 to 1926 Huchel studied literature and philosophy in Berlin, Freiburg and Vienna. Between 1927 and 1930 he travelled to France, Romania, Hungary and Turkey...
, Prague, Mladá fronta 1958. - Sto básní. Výbor z lyriky, Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
, Prague, SNKLHU 1959. - Lukulův výslech, (Das Verhör des Lukullus), Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
, Divadelní hry 2, Prague, SNKLHU 1959. - Raubíři (Die Räuberbande), Leonhard FrankLeonhard FrankLeonhard Frank was a German expressionist writer. He studied painting and graphic art in Munich, and gained acclaim with his first novel, The Robber Band...
(Raubíři, Ochsenfurtské kvarteto, Prague, SNKLHU 1959; Raubíři, Ochsenfurtské kvarteto, Dvanáct spravedlivých, Prague, Odeon 1983) - Kulatolebí a špičatolebí, (Die Rundköpfe und die Spitzköpfe), Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
, Divadelní hry 2, Prague, SNKLHU 1959. - Horáti a Kuriáti (Die Horatier und die Kuriatier), Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
, Divadelní hry 2, Prague, SNKLHU 1959. - Kdes byl, Adame? (Wo warst du, Adam?), Heinrich BöllHeinrich BöllHeinrich Theodor Böll was one of Germany's foremost post-World War II writers. Böll was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize in 1967 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972.- Biography :...
, Prague, Naše vojsko 1961. - Pohraniční stanice (Kameraden), Franz FühmannFranz FühmannFranz Fühmann was a German writer. He lived and worked as a short story writer, essayist and children's book author in East Germany...
, Prague, Naše vojsko 1961. - Domácí postila Bertolta Brechta (Bertolt Brechts Hauspostille), Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
, Prague, Mladá fronta 1963. - Vojcek (Woyzeck), Georg BüchnerGeorg BüchnerKarl Georg Büchner was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose. He was the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchner. Büchner's talent is generally held in great esteem in Germany...
, Praha, Dilia 1963; (Dílo G. Büchnera, Prague, Odeon 1987). - Silnice silnice (Chausseen, Chausseen), Peter HuchelPeter HuchelPeter Huchel , born Hellmut Huchel, was a German poet.-Life:Huchel was born in Lichterfelde near Berlin. From 1923 to 1926 Huchel studied literature and philosophy in Berlin, Freiburg and Vienna. Between 1927 and 1930 he travelled to France, Romania, Hungary and Turkey...
, Prague, SNKLU 1964; 3. edition: Prague, Mladá fronta 1997. - Otevřená okna (Otvorené okná), Laco Novomeský, Prague, Československý spisovatel 1964.
- Básně Georg TraklGeorg TraklGeorg Trakl was an Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists.- Life and work :Trakl was born and lived the first 18 years of his life in Salzburg, Austria...
, Prague, SNKLU 1965. - Poémy, Laco Novomeský, Prague, Mladá fronta 1965.
- Pronásledování a zavraždění Jeana Paula Marata předvedené divadelním souborem blázince v Charentonu za řízení markýze de Sade (Die Verfolgung und Ermordung Jean Marats dargestellt durch die Schauspielergruppe des Hospizes zu Charenton unter Anleitung des Herrn de Sade) Peter WeissPeter WeissPeter Ulrich Weiss was a German writer, painter, and artist of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays Marat/Sade and The Investigation and his novel The Aesthetics of Resistance....
, Prague, Orbis 1965; 2. edition Větrné mlýny, Brno, Host 2000. - Experiment Damokles (Experiment Damokles), Peter Karvaš, Prague, Dilia 1967.
- Haló, je tady vichr - vichřice!. Antologie německého expresionismu, Prague, Československý spisovatel 1969.
- Songy, Chóry, Básně, Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
, Prague, Československý spisovatel 1978. - Básně, Bertolt Brecht, Prague, Odeon 1979.
- Čítanka slovenské literatury, Prague, Albatros 1982.
- Společná přítomnost (Commune présence), René CharRené CharRené Char was a 20th century French poet.-Biography:Char was born in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in the Vaucluse department of France, the youngest of four children of Emile Char and Marie-Therese Rouget, where his father was mayor and managing director of the Vaucluse plasterworks...
, Prague, Odeon 1985. - Alžběta Anglická (Elisabeth von England, Ferdinand BrucknerFerdinand BrucknerFerdinand Bruckner was an Austrian-German writer and theater manager.-Life:...
, Prague, Dilia 1986. - Na jedné noze, Hans Arp, Prague, Odeon, 1987.
- Leonce a Lena (Leonce und Lena), Georg BüchnerGeorg BüchnerKarl Georg Büchner was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose. He was the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchner. Büchner's talent is generally held in great esteem in Germany...
, Prague, Dilia 1984; (works of G. Büchner, Prague, Odeon 1987) - Don Carlos Friedrich SchillerFriedrich SchillerJohann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
, Prague, Dilia 1987. - Básně, Gottfried BennGottfried BennGottfried Benn was a German essayist, novelist, and expressionist poet. A doctor of medicine, he became an early admirer, and later a critic, of the National Socialist revolution...
, Prague, Erm 1995. - Šebestián ve snu, Georg TraklGeorg TraklGeorg Trakl was an Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists.- Life and work :Trakl was born and lived the first 18 years of his life in Salzburg, Austria...
, TřebíčTrebícTřebíč is a city in the Moravian part of the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic.Třebíč is situated 35 km southeast of Jihlava and 65 km west of Brno on the Jihlava River. Třebíč is from 392 to 503 metres above sea-level....
, Arca JiMfa 1998. - UMBRA VITAE, Georg HeymGeorg HeymGeorg Heym was a German writer. He is particularly known for his poetry, representative of early Expressionism.- Life :...
, Zblov, Nakladatelství Opus 1999. - Palmström, Christian MorgensternChristian MorgensternChristian Otto Josef Wolfgang Morgenstern was a German author and poet from Munich. Morgenstern married Margareta Gosebruch von Liechtenstern on March 7, 1910...
, Prague, Vyšehrad 2001).