Ludvík Kundera

For the musicologist, see Ludvík Kundera (musicologist).
Ludvík Kundera

Ludvík Kundera, autumn 2009.
Born (1920-03-22)22 March 1920
Brno, Czechoslovakia
Died 17 August 2010(2010-08-17) (aged 90)
Boskovice, Czech Republic
Notable awards Medal of Merit (2007)
Jaroslav Seifert Award (2009)

Ludvík Kundera (22 March 1920 – 17 August 2010[1]) 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.[2] Kundera was a cousin of Czech-French writer Milan Kundera[3] and nephew of the pianist and musicologist also named Ludvík Kundera.

Biography

Kundera was born in Brno, 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.[2] 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.[4] He left the Mahen Theatre in reaction to the dismissal of his collaborators,[5] 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 pseudonyms. 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 Moravian town of Kunštát. He died in Boskovice.

Work

Translations

References

  1. ↑ "Czech author Ludvik Kundera dies aged 90". ČeskéNoviny.cz. Czech Press Agency. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Zemřel spisovatel Ludvík Kundera. Bylo mu 90 let". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Mladá fronta DNES. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  3. ↑ Velinger, Jan (2010-08-17). "Poet, prose writer Ludvík Kundera dies at 90". Radio Praha. Czech Radio. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  4. ↑ "Czech poet Ludvik Kundera dies". CBC.ca. CBC News. 17 August 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  5. ↑ "Výlety do Kunštátu skončily" (in Czech). Lidové noviny. Retrieved 25 August 2010. V divadle pak Kundera zaujal místo dramaturga, ale odešel po vyhazovu svých spolupracovníků v roce 1970, kdy, jak píše, mu „začaly svízelné časy“.
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