Vítězslav Nezval

Vítězslav Nezval (IPA2|ˈviːcɛslaf ˈnɛzval) (May 16, 1900, Biskoupky – April 6, 1958, Prague) was one of the most prolific avant-garde Czech writers in the first half of the twentieth century and founded the Surrealist movement in Czechoslovakia.

Biography

His father was a school teacher in the village of Biskoupky in Southern Moravia who often traveled to see art exhibitions. He was also a great musician who studied under the composer, Leos Janacek. At age eleven, Nezval was sent to the gymnasium in Třebíč, where he learned piano and to compose music. He began writing in his teenage years while he was still very interested in music. He was said to have played an accordion while studying the stars. In 1918, he was drafted, but quickly sent home for illness. After the war, Nezval moved to Prague and began studying Philosophy at Charles University, but never got his degree because he failed to finish his thesis. During this time, he was enchanted by the bustling literary scene that was thriving in cafés and on the streets of Prague.

Literary work

Vítězslav Nezval was a member of the avant-garde group of artists "Devětsil" (literally "Nine Forces," the Czech name of the Butterbur plant). Devětsil members were the most prolific artists of their generation. In 1922, the Devetsil group included Vítězslav Nezval, Jindřich Štyrský, Jaroslav Seifert, Karel Teige, and Toyen (Marie Cerminova). Also associated with the group was the later founder of the Prague Linguistic School, Roman Jakobson. Like the proletarian group before it, Devětsil gained influence from France for their avant-garde literature and from Russia for their Marxist political ideology. Though the Czechoslovakian state was newly formed after World War I, the younger generation felt there was still room for improvement and that a radical solution was necessary to gain true liberation. Most of these intellectuals had a spirit for revolution and shared their allegiance with Lenin. Though their philosopher-president, Thomas Masaryk had brought about the first real socially oriented democracy, Nezval and others in his group distrusted this democracy to represent their beliefs and goals. They expressed a blatant willingness in their writing to fight under a Marxist consciousness of class solidarity.

The first manifesto of Devětsil urged new artists to look deeper into ordinary objects for poetic quality. Skyscrapers, airplanes, mimes, and poster lettering were the new arts.

Nezval was also a founding figure of the Poetism movement. His output consists of a number of poetry collections, experimental plays and novels, memoirs, essays, and translations. Along with Karel Teige, Jindřich Štyrský, and Toyen, Nezval frequently traveled to Paris, engaging with the French surrealists. Forging a friendship with André Breton and Paul Eluard, he was instrumental in founding "The Surrealist Group" of Czechoslovakia in 1934 (the first group of this kind outside France), serving as an editor of the group's journal "Surrealismus".

In collaboration with Nezval for his book Abeceda, which translates as both “Alphabet” and “Primer,” Devětsil dancer, Milča Majerová, performed particular poses to represent each of the letters. Nezval wrote this poem focusing on the forms, sounds, and functions of the alphabet. Teige used typography and photomontage to create lasting images of the moves which are now printed in many editions of the book.

External links

* [http://www.traktor.cz/twisted/nezval.html Reference – short biography]
* [http://www.knihovna.kvary.cz/Portal/Deti/webdeti_soubory/literatura/Nezval.htm Extensive biography and works] cs icon
* [http://www.poets.ir/?q=taxonomy/term/124/9 Some Poems in Persian]

References

Bohuš Balajka: "Přehledné dějiny literatury II". Prague: Fortuna, 2005. ISBN 80-7168-781-2