Dr. Jan Rejsa (September 16, 1886 Prague - December 9, 1971 Prague) was a Czech poet, writer, editor and literary columnist.

Life

He was born into a police council family, which he believed was descended from a noble

Lusatia Lusatia (german: Lausitz, pl, Łużyce, hsb, Łužica, dsb, Łužyca, cs, Lužice, la, Lusatia, rarely also referred to as Sorbia) is a historical region in Central Europe, split between Germany and Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr ...

n family that later colonized

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

. This ancestry led him to write under the pseudonyms Jan Rejsa Kolkovský and Jan Rejsa of Kolkovic, from a character presented to his ancestors by

Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the Hous ...

in 1579. He graduated from the Academic Gymnasium in

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 ...

, where he taught history. After graduating in 1906 he worked as a clerk for various societies. From 1916 he studied at

Charles University in Prague Charles University ( cs, Univerzita Karlova, UK; la, Universitas Carolina; german: Karls-Universität), also known as Charles University in Prague or historically as the University of Prague ( la, Universitas Pragensis, links=no), is the oldest an ...

, reading Czech history, literature, art history, archeology and the culture of ancient France. He graduated in 1922, defending the work of early Christian paintings in the Roman catacombs. Also undertook a study tour to Germany, Austria and Italy. He was also interested in genealogy and heraldry. He is buried in Prague's

Olšany Cemetery Olšany Cemeteries (''Olšanské hřbitovy'' in Czech, ''Wolschan'' in German) is the largest graveyard in Prague, Czech Republic, once laid out for as many as two million burials. The graveyard is particularly noted for its many remarkable art ...

Work

Contributed to various magazines (Apollon, Ark, Goal Life Czech Word, Work, People's Leaves, Literary Circle, the National Newspaper). His first poems (published in 1927) were inspired by ancient and Renaissance motifs in the academic eclectic style. Later he moved to the Neo (i.e. decadent). Edited Proceedings of the Unity Descendants of White Mountain Exiles in Prague in the years 1931–1938. Published poet and science fiction author.

Writings

* ''Čtyři renaissanční sonety'', Prague at own expense, 1927, bibliophile * ''Na březích Ilissu'', Prague: Miloš Procházka, 1928 - Poems * ''Obraz sv. Dorothey'', Prague: er 1930 * ''Hudba země'', Prague: A. Praise 1933 - Poems * ''Duše v plamenech'', Moravian Ostrava: n 1935 - Poems * ''Efeméry : imaginární novely'', Prague: Mor. Ostrava: Library Literary Circle in Ostrava-Vítkovice 1937 * ''Neznámý elixír : hradčanské romaneto'', Litomysl: John R. Veselík 1940 * ''Hvězda na východě : básně městu Litomyšli'', Litomysl: John R. Veselík 1940 * ''Most vidin'', Prague: O. Pied 1944

Translations

* ''Paul Gauguin: Noa Noa'', KDA, Volume 52, Prague: Kamilla Neumann, 1919 List of works at Prachen Museum in Pisek
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rejsa, Jan Czech poets 1886 births 1971 deaths Charles University alumni Burials at Olšany Cemetery