František Čelakovský facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
František Ladislav Čelakovský
|
|
|---|---|
Portrait of František Ladislav Čelakovský by Jan Vilímek
|
|
| Born | 7 March 1799 Strakonice, Austrian Empire |
| Died | 5 August 1852 (aged 53) Prague, Austrian Empire |
| Resting place | Olšany Cemetery |
| Pen name | Marcian Hromotluk |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Nationality | Czech |
| Genre | Sentimentalism |
| Notable works | Ohlas písní ruských Ohlas písní českých |
| Spouse | Bohuslava Rajská |
| Children | Ladislav Josef Čelakovský Jaromír Čelakovský Marie Čelakovská |
František Ladislav Čelakovský (born March 7, 1799, died August 5, 1852) was an important Czech writer. He was a poet, a translator, and a language expert. He also wrote about books and literature.
Čelakovský was a key person in the "Czech National Revival". This was a time when Czech people worked to bring back their language and culture. His most famous works are Ohlas písní ruských (meaning Echoes of Russian Songs) and Ohlas písní českých (meaning Echoes of Bohemian Songs).
Contents
Life of František Ladislav Čelakovský
František Ladislav Čelakovský was born in Strakonice. His father, Vojtěch Čelakovský, was a carpenter. František went to high school in České Budějovice and then in Písek.
He started studying philosophy in Prague. Philosophy is the study of big ideas about life and knowledge. But he had money problems. So, he moved to a different school in České Budějovice. He was later asked to leave this school for reading books by Jan Hus. Jan Hus was a religious reformer from long ago.
Čelakovský continued his studies in Linz. Then he went to Charles University in Prague. He focused on learning languages and literature on his own. He did not always focus on the classes he was supposed to take. Because of this, he never finished his university degree.
Early Career and Newspaper Work
Čelakovský worked as a private teacher for several years. In 1829, he got a job translating a famous book. It was called De Civitate Dei by Augustine of Hippo. This job was thanks to a friend's recommendation.
From 1829 to 1842, he worked as a proofreader. A proofreader checks texts for mistakes. He worked for a magazine for Catholic clergy. In 1833, Čelakovský became an editor for a newspaper in Prague called Pražské noviny. An editor decides what goes into a newspaper.
He wanted to help readers learn more about politics and culture. He made the newspaper bigger and better. He also started including articles from foreign newspapers. He also connected with other experts who studied Slavic languages and cultures.
Challenges and Later Years
In 1835, Čelakovský wrote something negative in the newspaper. He commented on threats made by the Russian Tsar Nicholas I. The Tsar had threatened people in Poland who were trying to rise up. The Russian embassy complained about this.
Because of the complaint, Čelakovský lost his jobs. He was removed as both an editor and a professor. For the next two years, he had a hard time. He made money by doing translations. Friends also helped him.
From 1838, he worked as a librarian for a rich family. In 1841, he became a professor of Slavic Literature in Wrocław. Later, in 1849, he got the same job back in Prague.
Family Life
František Ladislav Čelakovský married Marie Ventová in 1834. They had four children together. Sadly, Marie died in 1844 from a disease called typhus.
The next year, he married Antonie Reissová in Prague. Antonie was friends with the famous author Božena Němcová. Čelakovský sometimes joined in their letters. František and Antonie also had four children. One of their daughters, Anna, died when she was very young.
Antonie died in 1852. Čelakovský himself died later that same year. In his will, he asked a doctor named Josef František Frič to look after his children. Čelakovský's granddaughter, Marie Tůmová, became a teacher. She was also a supporter of women's rights to vote.
Important Works
Čelakovský's writing style is often called pre-romanticism. This means his work had some features of the Romantic movement in literature. He was both inspired by and inspired other important people in the Czech "national revival." He also connected with other Slavic cultural figures.
Between 1821 and 1823, he published some poems using a woman's name, Žofie Jandová. He did this to show how good Czech literature was. An English translator even included her in a book of Czech writing. Čelakovský also sometimes used the pen name Marcián Hromotluk.
His most important works were either collections of Slavic folklore or poems based on these old stories. Folklore includes traditional stories, songs, and customs of a community.
Collections of Folk Songs
His book Slovanské národní písně (meaning National Songs of the Slavs) is a big collection of Slavic folk songs.
- Part 1 (published in 1822) has folk songs from Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovak areas.
- Part 2 (published in 1825) has two books. The first book continues with Czech and Slovak folk songs. The second book has folk songs from other Slavic languages. Čelakovský put the original songs next to his Czech translations.
- He published more songs in Part 3 (1827). These were songs that did not fit into the first two parts.
Echoes of Slavic Life
Ohlas písní ruských (Echoes of Russian Songs) was published in 1829. This book is a collection of epic poems. Epic poems are long poems about heroes and adventures. These poems were based on themes from Russian folklore, especially stories called byliny.
Ohlas písní českých (Echoes of Bohemian Songs) came out in 1839. This is a similar collection of poems. But these poems are based on themes from everyday Czech life. They are not about heroes like the Russian songs. Most of these poems use simpler language. They often have lines that sound like proverbs about daily life. A proverb is a short, well-known saying that gives advice.
Wisdom of the Slavic People
Mudrosloví národa slovanského v příslovích (The Wisdom of the Slavic People in Proverbs) was published in 1852. This book is a collection of Slavic proverbs. The proverbs are grouped by theme. They show the traditional way of thinking about life among Slavic people.
Besides poetry and folklore, Čelakovský also translated books. He translated from German, English, and Latin into Czech. He also wrote scientific books about linguistics, which is the study of language. He also created textbooks for learning the Czech language.
See also
In Spanish: František Čelakovský para niños
