Josef Václav Sládek

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Josef Václav Sládek
Drawing by Jan Vilímek

Josef Václav Sládek (born October 27, 1845 in Zbiroh ; † June 28, 1912 there ) was a Czech writer, poet, journalist and translator. He is considered one of the co-founders of children's poetry and was a member of the Academy of Sciences.

Life

The son of a bricklayer studied at the academic high school in Prague . Here he made friends with Jaromír Čelakovský , Svatopluk Čech and the free-thinking Count Wenzel Robert von Kaunitz . His parents wanted him to pursue a priestly career, but Sládek turned to studying science and mathematics at the Faculty of Philosophy. After his parents divorced, he fell into financial difficulties.

In 1868 he interrupted his studies and visited the United States at the invitation of a Chicago merchant whose son was to learn the Czech language . He worked as an editor for Czech newspapers, taught the children of Polish immigrants, earned his living on farms and as a worker in the construction of railways. This two-year stay later determined his life. He was not only interested in the fate of blacks and Indians, but also in Anglo-American literature.

On his return he taught English at the Commercial Academy and Technical University, later he worked as a lecturer at the Charles University in Prague and from 1870 to 1875 as an editor for the newspaper Národní listy . In addition, he took a job as an English teacher at the Czechoslovak Business Academy.

In 1873 he married Emilie Nedvídková, who died a year later. Sládek participated in the publication of the magazine Lumír , for which he worked as an editor from 1877, later until 1898 as a senior editor and was a member of the artist group Lumírovci . Between 1897 and 1898 he lived in Vysoká u Příbramě .

In 1900 he retired. Because of his nervous and heart disease, he has often been to Poděbrady for a cure since 1888 . In addition, he stayed more and more in his native city, where he also translated most of Shakespeare's works.

He also published his poems in the magazines Květy, Světozor and Osvěta.

Works

His typical theme was the Bohemian village, the figure of the farmer as a symbol of the nation. He looks for human values ​​in his works, and a common theme is home, childhood and his homeland. The rural population was idealized, he values ​​the nature in which the population lives and their work. His verses are simple, rhythmic and melodic; some of his poems were set to music by Karel Bendl and Josef Bohuslav Foerster .

American collections

  • Básně ( poems ) (1875):
    • Na hrobech indiánských ( On the Indian graves ) - he shows his admiration for the American Indians and describes their tragic fates.
    • Pomník Indiánův ( The Indian Monument )
    • Hrob v pralese ( A grave in the jungle )
    • U Michiganu ( In Michigan )
  • Americké obrázky ( American Pictures ) - short stories about the American immigrant

Bohemian works

  • Jiskry na moři (1880)
  • Světlou stopu (1881)
  • Na prahu ráje (1883)
  • Ze života (1884)
  • Sluncem a stínem (1887)
  • České znělky
  • Selské písně (1890)
  • Starosvětské písničky (1891), intimate poetry in which he reflects his close relationship with his mother. He was inspired by folk poetry. This collection is one of his best works.
  • Směska (1891)
  • České písně (1892) - This work reflects his patriotism. Some poems were set to music.
  • V zimním slunci
  • Nové selské písně
  • Za soumraku
  • Léthé a jiné básně

For children

  • Zvony a zvonky
  • Zlatý máj
  • Skřivánčí písně

Plays

  • Práce
  • Písně pohřební

Scientific literature

  • Anglická čítanka se slovníčkem ( The English Reader with a Dictionary )

Translations

He has translated 33 plays by William Shakespeare and works by Robert Burns , Henry Wadsworth Longfellow , Francis Bret Harte and George Gordon Byron . What is less well known is that Sládek translated the Czech anthem Kde domov můj into English.

literature

Web links

Commons : Josef Václav Sládek  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.pressreader.com/czech-republic/lidove-noviny/20170701/281973197671948


personal data
SURNAME Sládek, Josef Václav
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech writer, poet, journalist and translator
DATE OF BIRTH October 27, 1845
PLACE OF BIRTH Zbiroh
DATE OF DEATH June 28, 1912
Place of death Zbiroh