Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic (English: Jiří Karásek from Lvovice; January 24, 1871,

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

– March 5, 1951,

) was a Czech poet, writer and

literary critic A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature' ...

. He is a prominent representative of

decadence Decadence was a late-19th-century movement emphasizing the need for sensationalism, egocentricity, and bizarre, artificial, perverse, and exotic sensations and experiences. By extension, it may refer to a decline in art, literature, science, ...

Czech literature Czech literature can refer to literature written in Czech language, Czech, in the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia, earlier the Lands of the Bohemian Crown), or by Czech people. Most literature in the Czech Republic is now written in C ...

. As a writer and reviewer he also used naturalistic and

impressionistic Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

styles.

Biography

Karásek ze Lvovic studied

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at the Theological faculty in Prague, but he did not complete. Thereafter, he left Bohemia for one year and after his return he started working as a clerk in the post office. Soon after, he was appointed director of the library of the Ministry of Post, and director of the Postal Museum and Archive. In 1894 he founded, together with Ernst Stroll, the well known magazine ''Modern Review'', in which he published mainly Czech and French decadent literature and art. Later, he published two magazines, intended for sexual reform – ''Hlas'' (Voice) and ''Nový Hlas'' (New voice).LISHAUGEN, Roar
Nejistá sezóna jiné literatury, Dějiny a současnost, č. 12/2007. (online)
During his lifetime he gathered together an extensive private library (48,000 volumes) and a collection of Slavic art and graphics (40,000 items). In 1922, he donated this collection to the Czechoslovak Sokol Organization, which was housed in the Tyrš house in Prague; with the condition that it be managed by him until the end of life. In 1954, the collection became part of the National Literature Archives. Karásek was also a writer, author of many poems and prose works. Some of his novels are now categorized as science-fiction literature. He was interested in

occultism The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mystic ...

and was a member of the Czech society of hermetics "Hermetik Universalia". He was also a collector of paintings and his collection was one of the largest collections of modern art throughout Europe. It was later nationalized and exhibited in Czech museums. He was openly homosexual despite the fact that it was illegal at the time, and in 1932 founded the Enlightenment and Social Association of Friendship (OSSP), which organized social events for LGBT people, and served as its chairman. Almost forgotten, he died in Prague in 1951 of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

Literary works

* ''Zazděná okna'' (Walled-up windows), 1894 * ''Sodoma'' (1895) – the first edition was banned * ''Kniha aristokratická'' (An aristocratic book), 1896 * ''Sexus necans'' (1897) * ''Gotická duše'' (A gothic mind) (1900, revised issues 1905 and 1921) * ''Romány tří mágů'' (Novels of three mages): ''Román Manfreda Macmillena'' (1907), ''Scarabaeus'' (1908), ''Ganymedes'' (1925) * ''Ztracený ráj'' (Paradise lost), 1938 * ''Zplozenci pekla'' (The spawns of hell), 1940, revised novel by Josef Jiří Kolár

References

External links

*
Video about Karásek galleryKarásek gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karasek, Jiri Czech male poets Czech science fiction writers Czech literary critics 1871 births 1951 deaths Czech gay writers Czech LGBTQ poets Gay poets Writers from Austria-Hungary Czechoslovak poets Writers from Prague