Jaroslav Hašek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jaroslav Hašek
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| Born | 30 April 1883 Prague, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 3 January 1923 (aged 39) Lipnice nad Sázavou, Czechoslovakia |
| Occupation | Novelist, humorist |
| Genre | Historical Satire |
| Notable works | The Good Soldier Švejk |
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Jaroslav Hašek (1883–1923) was a famous Czech writer. He was known for his funny stories, clever jokes, and his work as a journalist. He is most famous for his book The Fate of the Good Soldier Švejk during the World War.
This book is an unfinished, funny story about a soldier during World War I. It also made fun of how silly or unhelpful some leaders could be. The novel has been translated into about 60 languages. This makes it the most translated book from the Czech Republic.
Contents
The Life of Jaroslav Hašek
Jaroslav Hašek's family came from a farming background in a place called Mydlovary. His grandfather, František Hašek, was involved in important political meetings. He even took part in protests in Prague in 1848.
Jaroslav's mother's family also came from a region called South Bohemia. His grandfather and great-grandfather worked as pond-keepers.
Early Years and Family
Jaroslav's father, Josef Hašek, was a mathematics teacher. He died when Jaroslav was young. After his father's death, his mother and three children had to move many times because they didn't have much money.
When Jaroslav was four, doctors found he had some health issues. Because of this, he spent a lot of time in the countryside. He stayed with his grandfather, especially with his younger brother Bohuslav. Jaroslav and Bohuslav later had a very close relationship. They often traveled together on foot.
School and First Writings
Jaroslav's childhood was like many other boys. He had adventures with friends and loved reading books by Karl May and Jules Verne. When he was eleven, an old sailor named Němeček moved nearby. Němeček influenced young Jaroslav.
Soon after Jaroslav started high school, his father passed away. In 1897, he was part of student protests in Prague. He was arrested, and his teachers made him leave school. He then trained to work in a pharmacy. But he eventually finished his studies at a business academy.
At the academy, he became friends with Ladislav Hájek. Together, they wrote funny poems that made fun of serious love poems. This was Jaroslav's first step into humorous writing.
Becoming a Writer
After finishing school, Jaroslav worked at a bank. But he soon decided to write full-time for newspapers and books. Around this time, he met people with different ideas about society. He started living a free and wandering life. He traveled a lot on foot with his brother Bohuslav. He wrote stories about these trips for a newspaper called Národní listy.
In 1907, he became the editor of a magazine called Komuna. He was briefly put in prison because of his work there.
Love and Marriage
In the same year, Jaroslav fell in love with Jarmila Mayerová. But her parents didn't think he was a good match for their daughter. This was because of his free-spirited lifestyle. When he was arrested for disrespecting the Austro-Hungarian flag, Jarmila's parents sent her away. They hoped it would end their relationship.
In response, Hašek tried to change his ways. He tried to get a steady job as a writer. In 1908, he edited a magazine called Women's Horizon. In 1909, he had many short stories published. He also became the editor of Animal World magazine. This job didn't last long. He was fired for writing articles about imaginary animals he made up!
Despite this, he married Jarmila Mayerová on May 23, 1910. However, after only a year, Jarmila went back to her parents. This happened after Hašek was held by police for trying to pretend he had died. After this event, he was briefly in a hospital for mental health.
More Writing and Politics
From 1911, he wrote for many different newspapers and magazines. He also ran a dog breeding business for a while. This inspired his later book My Dog Shop.
In 1911, he started a funny political group called The Party of Moderate Progress Within the Bounds of the Law. He created it with friends to make fun of the politics of the time. He also wrote a satirical book about this party.
During this period, he also worked with other writers and artists. They created many cabaret shows, where he was often the main performer.
In 1912, Hašek spent several weeks in a pub in Chotěboř. He wrote stories about his time there, like "Traitor of the Nation in Chotěboř."
World War I and Russia
When World War I started, Hašek was living with the cartoonist Josef Lada. Lada later drew the famous pictures for the Good Soldier Švejk book.
In February 1915, Hašek was called to join the Austro-Hungarian Army. He was sent to the Eastern Front in July 1915. On September 24, 1915, he was captured by the Russians. He was sent to a prisoner camp.
In 1916, he joined the Czechoslovak Legion. This was a group of Czech and Slovak soldiers fighting for their own country. He worked as a writer and soldier. He fought in the Battle of Zborov against the Austrians. From 1916 to 1918, he wrote articles for army newspapers.
In February 1918, he joined a socialist political party. He then went to Moscow and started working with the Bolsheviks. In April, he joined the Red Army. He worked in different roles, including directing an army printing press. He also helped lead troops. He worked in Siberia, where he published several magazines. One of them was the first magazine in the Buryat language.
In 1920, he was hurt in an attack. In the same year, he got very sick with typhoid fever. In May, he married a printing worker named Alexandra Grigorievna Lvov, also called Shura. She took care of him when he was sick. When he returned to Czechoslovakia, he was not tried for marrying again because of the unusual situation in Russia at the time.
Return to Czechoslovakia
In December 1920, Hašek returned to the newly independent Czechoslovakia. He was sent by the Soviets to help organize the communist movement. However, this plan didn't work out. He soon returned to his free-spirited way of life. He visited pubs in Prague and wrote his stories there.
On August 25, 1921, Hašek moved to Lipnice nad Sázavou with his wife Shura. By this time, he was very sick and quite heavy. In Lipnice, he started writing his most famous book, The Fate of the Good Soldier Švejk during the World War.
Eventually, he became too sick to write himself. He would dictate the chapters of Švejk from his bedroom. On January 3, 1923, he died because of heart problems. The last known photo of him was taken in December 1922.
Interesting Facts About Hašek
Many people in the Czech Republic think of Jaroslav Hašek as a very free-spirited and unconventional person. But this is partly a story he created about himself. He was actually a very disciplined writer and produced a lot of work. His books show that he was also very educated.
His time in Russia from 1916 to 1920 is very interesting. In Russia, he was not seen as just a humorist. He was seen as a responsible army official and a respected thinker. He was also a skilled soldier. In 1918, he was a brave commander in the Red Army.
It's thought that in the special conditions of revolutionary Russia, Hašek could show parts of his personality that couldn't be seen in his home country. He was even sent back to Czechoslovakia to help organize a political movement. This shows that people in Soviet Russia saw him as a responsible and capable person.
There are also stories about Hašek's mysterious trip to Mongolia. He probably went there for the Soviet government. Some say he was going to China and learned Chinese for this trip.
After returning home, Hašek felt a bit alone. People from different political groups didn't like him. Some called him a "traitor" for his past actions. This hostile feeling in Prague was one reason he moved to Lipnice to write Švejk.
Jaroslav Hašek's Works
At first, Hašek mainly wrote travel stories, short articles, and funny pieces. He published these in magazines. He wrote most of his works in Prague pubs.
His stories were often based on his own real experiences. It can be hard to tell what is true and what he made up for fun.
Hašek didn't like pretending or being overly emotional. He often made fun of these things in his writing. He also didn't like strict rules in writing or life.
He wrote about 1,200 short stories in his lifetime. Most of these were spread across different magazines and newspapers. Over the years, almost all his stories have been collected and printed in books. Some texts might be lost, though.
Writing came easily to him. He was very passionate about his work.
The Good Soldier Švejk
His most famous book is the four-part humorous novel The Fate of the Good Soldier Švejk during the World War. It has been translated into 58 languages. It has also been made into movies and plays many times. The parts of the novel are: “In the Background (1921)”, “At the Front (1922)”, “Famous Spanking (1922)”, and “Unfinished Continuation of the Famous Spanking” (1923).
Many people connect Hašek's most important work with the wonderful drawings by Josef Lada. Hašek did not finish the book before he died. Other writers tried to finish it, but their versions were not as good as Hašek's original idea.
At first, the book didn't have many fans. But later, important writers and thinkers praised it. For example, Ivan Olbracht called it one of the best books ever written in the Czech Republic. He said Švejk was a new type of character in world literature, like Don Quixote or Hamlet. Other famous writers like Karel Čapek and Milan Kundera also admired the novel.
Švejk has been made into plays several times. Hašek himself helped with the first play. A famous German playwright, Bertold Brecht, also adapted Švejk for the stage.
See also
- Vlastimil Košvanec
- Josef Lada
- Cecil Parrott
- Statue of Jaroslav Hašek
Images for kids
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Monument to Jaroslav Hašek in Lipnice nad Sázavou
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Statue of Jaroslav Hašek in Žižkov, near the pubs where he wrote some of his works
