Josef Hora

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Josef Hora

Josef Hora (born July 8, 1891 in Dobříň near Roudnice nad Labem; † June 21, 1945 ) was a Czech poet , translator and literary critic . In memoriam he was the first Czech to be recognized as a national artist.

Life

After graduating from high school in 1902, he left Roudnice and studied law and journalism in Prague . His poems were published in the Vesna magazine.

As a journalist he wrote first for social democratic newspapers and from 1921 cultural articles for the newspaper Das Rote Recht ( Rudé právo ), as well as for the proletarian newspaper Das Recht des Volkes (Právo lidu). As a signatory of the Critical Manifesto of the Seven , he was expelled from the Communist Party in March 1929 . He then worked as an editor for The Bohemian Word (České slovo). He published further articles in the magazine Moderní Revue , Glocke (Zvon), Podřipan and later published his own magazine Plán . As a publicist , he published a number of monographs . His work was also influenced by trips to Italy , the Soviet Union , France , Hungary , Estonia and Slovenia .

For Hora the worker was indeed the bearer of class struggle hatred, but through his collectivism he was also the bearer of a new kind of humanism . His proletarian poetry is partly similar to Wolker's poems , only Hora did not write ballads , but poetry . In addition to his poems, novels also appeared, but they did not reach the level of his poetry. Hora was also a well-known translator u. a. Russian literature.

Works

First works of poetry

  • Poems (Básně) - 1915, collection of poems influenced by the poetism of Jaroslav Vrchlický and Antonín Sova . Emphasis on variability, multitude of events that all create an image.
  • Tree in Blossoms (Strom v květu) - 1920, poems, vital-impressionistic character under the influence of the dynamics of the twenties.

Proletarian poetry

  • The Working Day (Pracující den) - 1920, his first collection of proletarian poetry. However, these poems are not revolutionary and agitative, they tend to make you thoughtful. The fates of workers are described.
  • Madonna of the Workers (Dělnická madona) - a typical example of his worker's poetry from the “Pracující den” collection. The worker's apartment reminds Hora of Bethlehem, but the child who is born cannot be crucified, but begins the struggle for a better world.
  • The heart and the tumult of the world (Srdce a vřava světa, 1922)
  • Stormy Spring (Bouřlivé jaro, 1923)
  • From the Political Sanctuary (Z politické svatyně, 1924) - political satire

Post-proletarian poetry

  • Italy (Itálie) - 1925, this is where poetry prevails, there are no missing social motives, but they take a back seat. Hora admires the beauties of Italy that he experienced on his journey. Often comparisons are made with his homeland.
  • Strings in the wind (Struny ve vetru) - 1927, here outweighs the poetry, he is committed to his love for Russia and VI Lenin. Both are strongly idealized.
  • Time (Čas) - thoughts about the passage of time.
  • The Book of Time and Silence (Kniha času a ticha) - a collection of similar topics that deal with time.
  • Ten years (Deset let, 1929)
  • Your voice (Tvůj hlas) - 1930
  • Falling Shadows (Tonoucí stíny) - 1933
  • Two minutes of silence (Dvě minuty ticha) - 1934
  • Silent Message (Tiché poselství) - 1936
  • Mácha's Variations (Máchovské variace) - 1936, Antifascist Collection. He chose Mácha as a symbol of revolution and intransigence. The person must not bow to the pressure of the situation, but actively counter it. So he lives on after his death.
  • Heimat (Domov) - 1938, An epic about Bohemia and its glorious history, with the conviction that the people will last forever.
  • Song of the Homeland (Zpěv rodné zemi) - Again he deals with Bohemian history and sees war and suffering, which the nation survives.
  • Jan Houslista - 1939, allegory published after the war.
  • Cinderella's Garden (Zahrada Popelčina, 1940; consisting of two collections: Rekviem + Popelka přebírá hrách) - subjectivistic, the sick poet draws from inner life.
  • The life and work of the poet Aneli (Život a dílo básníka Aneliho) - 1945, written during the war.
  • Notes on illness (Zápisky z nemoci) - 1945, describes his feelings as a result of his illness and age.
  • Electricity (Proud, 1946)

Novels

  • Socialist Hope (Socialistická naděje) - 1922, with this book the author confesses his affiliation to the left party.
  • The Famine Year (Hladový rok) - 1926, a war-themed novel
  • Breath on the Glass (Dech na skle) - 1938, war-themed novel

Translations

literature

  • Dílo Josefa Hory (Horas Works), Vol. IV: Kniha domova , Prague, Československý spisovatel, 1946 a. Vol. V: Písně hodin večerních , Prague, Československý spisovatel 1950
  • Čas, bratr mého srdce (František Hrubín, ed.), Prague, Československý spisovatel, 1965
  • Josef Hora / Na neshledanou, vteřiny (ed. And follow-up by Zina Trochová), Prague, Mladá Fronta 1978

Web links

See also

personal data
SURNAME Hora, Josef
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech poet, translator, literary critic
DATE OF BIRTH July 8, 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH Dobříň near Roudnice nad Labem
DATE OF DEATH June 21, 1945
Place of death Prague