Petr Král facts for kids
Petr Král (born September 4, 1941 – died June 17, 2020) was a famous Czech writer. He was known for his unique style, which was first inspired by a movement called surrealism.
Petr Král's Life and Journey
Petr Král was born in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. After finishing his studies at FAMU (a film and TV school), he started working as an editor. He helped create books about film and people who made movies.
In 1968, Petr Král moved to France. There, he worked many different jobs. He worked in an art gallery and a photo shop. He was also a teacher, an interpreter (someone who translates spoken words), and a translator (someone who translates written words). He even wrote screenplays for movies and reviewed books and films.
Later, in 1984, he lived for a short time in Québec, Canada. From 1990 to 1991, he worked as a cultural adviser at the Czech embassy in Paris. This meant he helped share Czech culture in France. He also translated many works, especially modern poetry, between French and Czech. He put together several collections of writings by other authors. Since April 2006, he lived back in Prague.
His Books and Writings
Petr Král began his writing journey influenced by surrealism. This was an art and writing movement that focused on dreams and imagination. However, as he continued to write in the 1970s, his books showed that he felt surrealism didn't fully express what he wanted to say. He wrote about a feeling of never-ending longing.
- Vlasta Burian (with A. Král), 1969
- Prázdno světa, 1986
- Svědek stmívání, 1987
- Éra živých, 1989
- P. S. čili Cesty do ráje, 1990
- Právo na šedivou, 1991
- Pocit předsálí v aixské kavárně, 1991
- Med zatáček čili Dovětek k dějinám, 1992
- Voskovec a Werich čili Hvězdy klobouky, 1993
- Tyršovské přeháňky, 1994
- Fotografie v surrealismu, 1994
- Arsenál, 1994
- Soukromý život, 1996
- Pařížské sešity, 1996
- Mramor se jí studený (anthology of the Belgian Surrealist movement, as editor), 1996
- Staronový kontinent, 1997
- Chiméry a exil, 1998
- Groteska čili Morálka šlehačkového dortu, 1998
- Aimer Venise (Loving Venice), 1999
- Praha, 2000
- Pro anděla, 2000
- Základní pojmy, 2002
- Anthologie de la poésie tchèque contemporaine, 2002 (as editor, published in France by Gallimard)
- Bar Příroda čili Budoucnost 5 km, 2004
- Masiv a trhliny, 2004
- Přesuny, 2005
- Arco a jiné prózy, 2005
- Hm čili Míra omylu, 2006
- Úniky a návraty (interview with Petr Král by Radim Kopáč), 2006
- Notions de base, 2005 (Working Knowledge)
- Enquête sur des lieux, 2007 (In Search of the Essence of Place)
- Hum ou Marge d'erreur, 2007
English Translations of His Work
Some of Petr Král's books have been translated into English, so more people could read them.
- Working Knowledge, translated by Frank Wynne, Pushkin Press, 2008
- Loving Venice, translated by Christopher Moncrieff, Pushkin Press, 2011
- In Search of the Essence of Place, translated by Christopher Moncrieff, Pushkin Press, 2012
