Petr Bezruč facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Petr Bezruč
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| Born | Vladimír Vašek 15 September 1867 Opava, Austrian Silesia |
| Died | 17 February 1958 (aged 90) Olomouc, Czechoslovakia |
| Pen name | Petr Bezruč |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Citizenship | Austrian, Czechoslovak |
| Notable works | Silesian Songs |
Petr Bezruč was the pen name of Vladimír Vašek. He was a Czech poet and short story writer. He lived from 1867 to 1958. Bezruč was known for his strong connection to the Silesia region.
His most famous work is Silesian Songs. This is a collection of poems. They tell stories about the people living in Silesia. He wrote these poems over many years.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Petr Bezruč was born Vladimír Vašek in Opava in 1867. His father, Antonín Vašek, was a teacher. He also started the first Czech newspaper in Silesia. His mother was Marie Vašková.
Bezruč had five brothers and sisters. Their names were Ladislav, Otakar, Antonín, Olga, and Helena.
In 1873, his family had to move to Brno. This was because his father supported Czech activities. Bezruč grew up in Brno. But he spent summers in Háj ve Slezsku. His father liked to hunt there. In 1880, his father died from tuberculosis.
In 1881, Petr Bezruč started studying at a high school in Brno. From 1885 to 1888, he studied old languages at Charles University in Prague. He never finished his studies. During this time, Bezruč became more quiet and thoughtful. He met other writers who would later influence him. He also learned from important professors.
Becoming a Writer
In 1888, Bezruč moved back to Brno. His family needed financial help. He published his first short story. It was called Studie z Café Lustig. He used the pen name Ratibor Suk for it.
In 1891, he finished trade school. He then started working as a postal officer. He was sent to the small town of Místek.
His time in Místek was very important for Silesian Songs. He lived there from 1891 to 1893. Many of his poems came from his experiences there. He was very moved by the poverty of the area. He also admired the strong spirit of the local people.
In 1894, Bezruč's mother died. He began to take care of his younger brother, Antonín. He also visited his brother Ladislav often. This was in Kostelec na Hané. This started his deep connection to the Haná region.
Silesian Songs and Fame
In 1899, he sent some poems to a magazine called Čas. This was the first time he used the pen name Petr Bezruč. The editor, Jan Herben, immediately saw how good the poems were. He wanted to publish three of them. But because of censorship by the Austrian government, only one could be published.
Over the next few years, Bezruč's poems were regularly published. His first collection of poems came out in 1903. In 1909, his poems were published under the title Silesian Songs for the first time.
In 1915, Bezruč was accused of writing two poems. These poems were seen as being against the government. They appeared in a French magazine. They were signed P.B. But someone else had actually written them. Bezruč was arrested. He was accused of a serious crime. The military court found him innocent. They could not find proof he wrote the poems. But he was still moved to a jail.
His books were becoming very popular. Silesian Songs was even translated into German. He was released from jail in 1916. But legal issues continued until 1918.
In the last 40 years of his life, Silesian Songs was printed more and more. Bezruč became known as a national poet in the Czech Republic. But he also became more private and stayed away from society. He loved hiking in the Beskydy mountains.
Bezruč never wrote another work as famous as Silesian Songs. In 1945, he was given the title of "national artist" by the government.
From 1939 until he died, he lived in Kostelec na Hané. He passed away in a hospital in Olomouc in 1958. He was 90 years old. He was buried in Opava.
About His Works
Bezruč is famous mostly because of his poetry collection, Silesian Songs. These poems often show the people of Silesia as being treated unfairly. They suffered from outsiders taking advantage of them. They also faced problems from new factories and industries.
The poems were written for everyday working people. The ideas in the poems could connect with anyone. Especially those who felt left out or treated badly by others. Some poems in the collection talk about love, poverty, and unfair treatment. Others are about specific towns or places.
Who Wrote Silesian Songs?
Petr Bezruč never wrote another famous collection of poems. Because of this, some people have wondered if he wrote Silesian Songs all by himself.
One writer, Jan Drozd, thought that Vladimír Vašek (Petr Bezruč) wrote the poems with his friend Ondřej Boleslav Petr. He thought "Petr Bezruč" was a name they both used. Another artist, Jaromír Nohavica, believes that Ondřej Boleslav Petr wrote about 10 of the poems.
However, in 2014, the Czech Literature Bureau published a new edition of Silesian Songs. They said that Vladimír Vašek was the only author of the poems.
His Birthplace Museum
During his lifetime, Petr Bezruč became so famous that his birthplace became a special site. Today, this building is managed by the Silesian Museum in Opava.
The museum holds important papers from 85 famous writers. This makes the building and its contents very important for the country. The building you see today is not the original one. The first building was destroyed during World War Two.
The current building was built on the same spot. People worked to rebuild it from 1946 to 1956. In 1958, it was decided that the Silesian Museum would take care of it. The museum also owns the rights to his writings, as he wished.
See also
- List of Czech writers
In Spanish: Petr Bezruč para niños
