- František Čelakovský
František Ladislav Čelakovský, also known by the pseudonym Marcian Hromotluk, (born March 7th 1799 in
Strakonice ; died August 5th 1852 inPrague ) was a Czech writer and translator.Life
Starting in
1812 , he attended the secondary school inČeské Budějovice , then inPísek and finally studied philosophy inPrague . Due to financial difficulties, he had to go back to České Budějovice, but was quickly excluded due to reading out works byJan Hus . He then lived as a translator and educator. In1830 he received an offer from Russia -- to found and lead a Slavic library inSaint Petersburg along withPavel Jozef Šafárik undVáclav Hanka . However, Čelakovský soon received a pension from PrinceKinský . From1833 on, he was the editor of a newspaper in Prague, but was forced to leave it due to having published an article that criticized RussianTsars . In1838 , he was librarian for the Kinský family. InWrocław , 1841, he was appointed Professor of Slavic Literature and worked there until 1849, where he held the same title in theUniversity of Prague .Works
He wrote several volumes of poetry, of which one of the more well known is "Růže stolistá" ("the hundred-petaled rose").
"Ohlasy písní ruských" ("echo of Russian songs") was inspired by Russian
bylinas . The hero is a rich, young and handsome man that rises above the masses with his bravery, and fights against evil in the name of the simple people. The story took place around the 1400s, when the Turks andTartars attackedRussia ."Ohlasy písní českých" ("echo of Bohemian songs") was not about a heroic epic, but more about a satiric and lyrical love poem. Many of his books feature illustrations by
Adolf Kašpar .He published Bohemian, Moravian, and Slovak poetry, which he dedicated to
Václav Hanka . At the same time, he also translated Russian, Serbian, and Lithuanianfolk songs . Among his most famous translations are works fromJohann Wolfgang von Goethe ,Walter Scott , andJohann Gottfried Herder .Čelakovský was one of the first literary critics who recognized the poetic genious of the Slovenian poet
France Prešeren . His positive assesment of Prešeren's poetry had a very important role in the development of the poet's self-esteem.Works
*
Matija Čop
*Jernej Kopitar
*List of Czech writers
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