Jakub Deml (20 August 1878 – 10 February 1961) was a Czech
Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
and writer.
Life
Childhood and youth
Jakub Deml was born in
Tasov near
Třebíč
Třebíč (; german: Trebitsch; yi, טרייביטש Treybitsh) is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants.
The beginnings of the town's history are connected with the establishment of a Benedictine ...
,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, now the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
on 20 August 1878 as a firstborn child of a small store owner Jakub Deml and his second wife Antonie Demlová, born Bělochová. His grandfather, German Jan Deml, moved to Moravia from Opatov by Moravská Třebová. In 1889 at the age of 11, Jakub was sent to a German family in
Wulzeshofen by
Laa in Austria where he learnt German. In the spring of 1890, Deml returned home due to his mother's serious illness and later death. Deml studied high school in
Gymnázium Třebíč
Gymnázium Třebíč is a universal gymnasium in town quarter Horka Domky in Třebíč opposite the Třebíč government buildings. Near the school there are also the Obchodní akademie Dr. Albína Bráfa and Hotelová škola Třebíč school ...
where he started to publish his first works in the journal ''Sursum''. During the year 1897 Deml published his works in ''Zájmy lidu'' (Interest of people), and in 1899 in ''Nový život'' (New life), ''Dvacátý věk'' (Twentieth century) a ''Museo'' (Museum). After high school, Deml entered a seminary and in 1902 was ordained
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
priest.
Priesthood and early literary works
Deml's first post as a priest was in
Kučerov by
Vyškov
Vyškov (; german: Wischau) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Administrative parts
Vyškov ...
. In 1905, Deml stopped publishing in ''Nový život'' (New life) and started to criticize catholic modernism and clericalism, which made him unpopular with many church representatives. His disputes with clergy and church authorities were slowly escalating also due to the slow implementation of the Decree of
Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...
. Finally for health reasons, Deml asked to be released from his duties and in 1907 retired from the priesthood. Bishop
Pavel Huyn
Pavel hrabě Huyn (german: Paul Graf Huyn) (17 February 1868 in Brno – 1 October 1946 in Bolzano) was a Moravian-German Roman Catholic clergyman. He was bishop of Brno from 1904 to 1916 and archbishop of Prague
The following is a list of bi ...
signed the release papers.
The first republic
Deml put high hopes in the new republican order which started in Czechoslovakia in 1918. Unfortunately even then he was running into problems with bureaucracy. He was allowed to lead a Mass but was still prohibited from preaching and confessions. The year 1918 was important for Jakub Deml as he met with
Pavla Kytlicová who became his promoter. In 1922 Deml moved to his birthplace Tasov where he permanently settled. His house, designed by the famous architect
Bohuslav Fuchs
Bohuslav Fuchs (24 March 1895 in Všechovice – 18 September 1972 in Brno) was a Czech modernist architect.
Life and career
A mason by education, Fuchs studied with Jan Kotěra at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague between 1916 and 1919, and ...
, served as his home until Deml's death. During the years of 1921 and 1928 Deml was a devoted member of
Sokol
The Sokol movement (, ''falcon'') is an all-age gymnastics organization first founded in Prague in the Czech region of Austria-Hungary in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner. It was based upon the principle of " a strong mind in a so ...
. In 1924 Deml in one of his speeches attacked Orel, the organization competing with Sokol and for his comments was charged with slander. In his work Deml often criticized the Czechoslovakian prezident
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Tomáš () is a Czech and Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas.
It may refer to:
* Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850–1937), first President of Czechoslovakia
* Tomáš Baťa (1876–1932), Czech footwear entrepreneur
* Tomáš Berdych ( ...
. His critiques eventually led to Deml's conflict with government officials and his work
Šlépěje was confiscated. Deml's prosecution was finally stopped by the president himself. Later in life Deml stated that he valued president
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Tomáš () is a Czech and Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas.
It may refer to:
* Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850–1937), first President of Czechoslovakia
* Tomáš Baťa (1876–1932), Czech footwear entrepreneur
* Tomáš Berdych ( ...
, even though he disagreed with him on many points.
The year 1929 was marked by the death of
Otokar Březina
Otokar or Otakar Březina (); pen name of Václav Jebavý; (13 September 1868 – 25 March 1929) was a Czech poet and essayist, considered the greatest of Czech Symbolists.
Biography
Březina was born in the small town of Počátky, Pelhřimov ...
. Deml's highly controversial work ''
Mé svědectví o Otokaru Březinovi'' (My Testimony about O. Březina) had many antagonists and had a negative effect on Deml's popularity. In 1932 died
Pavla Kytlicová, Deml's good friend, publisher, and supporter. That and Deml's troubling health strongly influenced his literary works from this time period. In 1934 Deml published one of his most famous novels ''
Forgotten Light
''Forgotten Light'' ( cs, Zapomenuté světlo) is a 1996 Czech film directed by Vladimír Michálek. The screenplay by Czech-American Milena Jelinek is based on a 1934 book by Jakub Deml which is considered a masterpiece of Czech literature of t ...
''. Again, it received very negative criticism. A year later Deml started corresponding with Marie Rosa Junová who became his publisher until the year 1948.
World War II
During the World War II Deml did not publish very much and between 1942 and 1945 could not publish at all. In early 1945 the Nazi army occupied Tasov looking for members of the partisan movement. The Nazi's captured several citizens of Tasov and kept them as hostages hoping to get information about the underground. Deml volunteered to be kept as a hostage instead of others, however shortly afterwards the Soviet Army freed the town and all hostages were released. After the war Deml was accused of collaboration with the Nazis, but for lack of evidence he was let go with a small conditional penalty. After 1948, Deml could not publish again.
Last years
In the 1950s Deml's works were yet again banned. Most of his works from this time period are in the form of letters or handwritten works. In January 1961 Deml had to be hospitalized. He was released after a short period but then was hospitalized again and died on 10 February 1961 in the
Třebíč
Třebíč (; german: Trebitsch; yi, טרייביטש Treybitsh) is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants.
The beginnings of the town's history are connected with the establishment of a Benedictine ...
hospital.
Main works
Deml became one of the most important Czech authors of the 1920s and 1930s. During his time his works were not very recognized, however he is now being considered a predecessor of modern literary genre, mainly surrealism.
; Poetry
* ', 1933
ay to Remember in Kuks* ', 1934
olitude* ', 193?
ong of an Insane Soldier* ', 1935
rincess* ''
Jugo
Sirocco ( ), scirocco, or, rarely, siroc (see below) is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and can reach hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe, especially during the summer season.
Names
''Sirocco'' derives from ...
'', 193?
* ', 1913
y Friends* ''
Miriam
Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', lit. 'Rebellion') is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus.
The Tor ...
'', 1916
* ', 1917
racle* ', 1907–1938
zech poetry* ', 1939
arline Thistle* ', 1946
hrough the Idle Sky* ', 1955
ld Man in Front of a Creche* ', 1960
* ', 1966 post mortem
rosted Flowers
; Prose
* ', 1912
astle of Death* ', 1913
or Future Pilgrims* ', 1914
ance of Death* ', 1917–1941
ootprints* ', 1924
eehive* ', 192?
rtery* ', 1926
oice Speaks to the Word* ', 1926
ound* ', 1932
eath of Pavla Kytlicová* ', 1932
atholic Dream* ', 1934
orgotten Light* ', 1936
omeland* ', 1937
urder* ', 1938
irdhouses* ', 1991 post mortem
utumn Dream
; Essays
* ', 192?
okol's Reader* ', 1924
or the Sisters* ', 1928
orks of Felix Jenewcin
; Diaries and Memoires
* ', 1912
ree frog* ', 1913
ome
Ome may refer to:
Places
* Ome (Bora Bora), a public island in the lagoon of Bora Bora
* Ome, Lombardy, Italy, a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Brescia
* Ōme, Tokyo, a city in the Prefecture of Tokyo
* Ome (crater), a crater on Mars
Tran ...
* ', 1931
y Testimony about O. Březina
; Notes
*, so-called 'One-Man-Review', Deml's own periodical with essays, poems, diary notes, letters, pamphlets, tractates etc., published between 1917 and 1941 in 26 volumes.
*Forgotten Light, published 1934 and confiscated by censors for 'obscene moments' –
Roman Jakobson
Roman Osipovich Jakobson (russian: Рома́н О́сипович Якобсо́н; October 11, 1896Kucera, Henry. 1983. "Roman Jakobson." ''Language: Journal of the Linguistic Society of America'' 59(4): 871–883. – July 18,[Vladimír Michálek
Vladimír Michálek (born 2 November 1956 in Mladá Boleslav) is a Czech film director and screenwriter.
Life
Michálek graduated from Czech film Academy ''FAMU'', Prague, in 1992. Starting during his academic study he was filming documentaries ...]
in 1996.
*
utumn Dream written 1951, published in London 1984, first home edition
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
1992.
Gallery
Jakub Deml Inscription.jpg, Dedication
Literature
* Alexander Wöll: ''Jakub Deml. Leben und Werk (1878–1961). Eine Studie zur mitteleuropäischen Literatur''. Köln/Weimar/Wien: Böhlau, 2006 (in German with Czech quotations), , .
* Alois Plichta: ''O Jakubu Demlovi'', Ve Vranově nad Dyjí: VOTOBIA, 1993, , .
* Jiří Olič: ''Čtení o Jakubu Demlovi'', Olomouc: VOTOBIA, 1993, , . Biography of Jakub Deml.
* Miloš Dvořák: ''O Jakubu Demolovi'', Praha: Cherm, 2007, , . Collection of studies and critiques about Deml's works by a Czech Catholic literature critic.
* Stanislav Vodička: ''Básník Jakub Deml v Tasově'', Praha: Torst, 2001, , . Book of short prose gives a valuable testimony about Jakub Deml.
* Vladimír Binar: ''Čin a slovo – Kniha o Jakubu Demlovi'', Prague, 2010, . Collection of studies about Deml by a Czech literature historian. Includes Deml's complete bibliography.
External links
Jakub Deml and Tasov (in Czech)Website dedicated to Jakub Deml (in Czech)The Final Resting Place of Jakub Deml
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deml, Jakub
1878 births
1961 deaths
People from Žďár nad Sázavou District
People from the Margraviate of Moravia
20th-century Czech Roman Catholic priests
Czech poets
Czech male poets
Roman Catholic writers