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

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 ...

– March 5, 1951,

) was a Czech poet, writer and

literary critic 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 discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...

. He is a prominent representative of

decadence The word decadence, which at first meant simply "decline" in an abstract sense, is now most often used to refer to a perceived decay in standards, morals, dignity, religious faith, honor, discipline, or skill at governing among the members of ...

Czech literature Czech literature can refer to literature written in 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 Czech, but histor ...

. As a writer and reviewer he also used naturalistic and

impressionistic Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open 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 systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

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 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 ...

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, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism an ...

and was a member of the Czech society of

hermetic Hermetic or related forms may refer to: * of or related to the ancient Greek Olympian god Hermes * of or related to Hermes Trismegistus, a legendary Hellenistic figure based on the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth ** , the ancient and m ...

s "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 inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

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 Josef Jiří Kolár (9 December 1812 – 31 January 1896) was a Czech theatrical actor, director, translator, and writer. Early life He was born Josef Kolář (later also spelled Kollar or Kolar) in Prague as the last of three sons to a famil ...

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 LGBT poets Gay poets