Jan Karafiát (4 January 1846 – 31 January 1929) was a
Czech clergyman of the
Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren and
author. He is best known for his classic
children's book ''
Broučci
''Broučci'' is a classic children's book by Jan Karafiát (author), Jan Karafiát published in Czech language, Czech in the early 1870s. The title is the Czech word for beetles, and the word is also used for "traditional Czech figures of fairylik ...
'', the
Czech language word for
Fireflies, that was first published in the early 1870s. Traditional Czech
figurines of fairylike insect people
[Raul A. Barrenech]
3 friends transform a Czech getaway
Arts & Leisure September 15, 2006 International Herald Tribune] are based on the characters in the book. He is also known for his poetry, which often reflected his religious beliefs, additionally he was one of the reviewers of
Bible of Kralice
The Bible of Kralice, also called the Kralice Bible ( cs, Bible kralická), was the first complete translation of the Bible from the original languages into Czech. Translated by the Unity of the Brethren and printed in Kralice nad Oslavou, the ...
– the first Czech protestant translation of the Bible.
Life
Karafiát was born to a noble family in
Jimramov
Jimramov (german: Ingrowitz) is a market town in Žďár nad Sázavou District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument ...
in 1846. He went to school at
Gütersloh. He studied theology in
Litomyšl,
Berlin (1866–1867),
Bonn (1867–1868),
Vienna (1866–1869) and
Edinburgh (1871–1872). He became
Vicar at
Roudnice nad Labem and in 1874 an administrator of the Protestant theological seminar in
Čáslav
Čáslav (; german: Tschaslau) is a town in Kutná Hora District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 10,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Administ ...
. From 1875 until his conflict with the
consistory in Vienna in 1895, he led the parish of
Velká Lhota
Velká Lhota is a municipality and village in Vsetín District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
The village of Malá Lhota is an administrative part of Velká Lhota.
Geography
Velká Lh ...
(that time called Hrubá Lhota). From that point until his death in 1929, he lived in
Prague.
Jan Karafiát was buried in
Vinohrady Cemetery
Vinohrady Cemetery ( cs, Vinohradský hřbitov) is a large cemetery in Vinohrady in Prague 10 which contains Strašnice Crematorium. It is the second largest cemetery in Prague and is registered in the state list of cultural monuments. The remain ...
.
Cemeteries
Perfect Prague, 21 November 2013
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karafiat, Jan
1846 births
1929 deaths
People from Jimramov
Writers from the Margraviate of Moravia
Czech Protestants
Czech children's writers
Czech male writers