Růžena Svobodová (10 July 1868 – 1 January 1920), born Růžena Čápová, was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

writer.

Early life

Růžena Čápová was born in Mikulovice, a small town in southern

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

. Her family moved to

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 ...

when she was a child. When she was 12, her father died, and the surviving widow and children moved out of the city, but Růžena was sent to schools in Prague.Veronika Kábrtová
"Rozervaná Růžena Svobodová: Život mezi dvěma muži"
''Vlasta.cz'' (October 9, 2015).

Career

Růžena Svobodová wrote short stories and novels, often focused on female characters' lives, including ''Na písčité půdě'' (''On the Sandy Soil'', 1895), ''Ztroskotáno'' (''Wrecked'', 1896), ''Přetížený klas'' (''Overloaded Ear'', 1896), ''Zamotaná vlákna'' (''Wrapped Fibers'', 1899), ''Milenky'' (1902), ''Pěšinkami srdce'' (''The Heart Walks'', 1902), ''Plameny a plaménky'' (''Flames and Cleanses'', 1905), ''Marné lásky'' (''Merciful Love'', 1906), ''Černí myslivci'' (''Black Foresters'', 1908), ''Posvátné jaro'' (''Sacred Spring'', 1912), ''Po svatební hostině'' (''The Wedding Feast'', 1916), ''Hrdinné a bezmocné dětství'' (''Heroes and Helpless Childhood'', 1920) and ''Ráj'' (''Paradise'', 1920). She is described by one scholar as "one of the creators of modern Czech prose." Another scholar described her as "a writer of powerful feminist short fiction" who later became "a sentimentalizing, emptily philosophizing novelist, crushing her natural sensualism under buckets of pretty flowers." She was founder of a women's magazine, ''Zvěstování'' (''Annunciation'') in 1919, and edited another magazine, ''Lipa'' (1918-1919), focused on arts and culture. She also hosted a literary salon, attracting artists as well as writers, including actress

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, and Vilém Mrštík. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

she signed the Manifesto of Czech writers, and was active in organizing the charity Czech Heart, which provided food relief and rural foster homes for the children of Prague."Usilovala o emancipaci žen a odmítala intimní lásku. Osudové ženy: Růžena Svobodová"
''Dvojka'' (December 22, 2017). Her book ''

Černí myslivci ''Černí myslivci'' is a 1945 Czech drama film directed by Martin Frič. Cast * Terezie Brzková * Dana Medřická as Zofka * Gustav Nezval Gustav Nezval (18 November 1907 – 17 September 1998) by civil name Augustin Nezval, was a C ...

'' was adapted for film in 1945.

Personal life

Růžena Čápová married František Xaver Svoboda, a poet and bank official. She also had a long relationship with František Xaver Šalda, concurrent with her marriage (in fact, Šalda introduced her to Svoboda). She died from heart trouble in 1920, aged 51 years, in Prague. Her remains were interred in Slavín (Prague), a tomb for Czech notables.

References

External links

*Jarmila Mourková
''Růžena Svobodová, 1868-1920: literární pozůstalost''
(Literární archív Památníku národního písemnictví v Praze 1979). *Růžena Schwarzová
''Růžena Svobodová: ve vzpomínkách své žačky''
(Vydala Spolecnost Ceskeho Cerveneho krize 1940). *

František Xaver Šalda František Xaver Šalda (also known as F. X. Šalda; 22 December 1867, Liberec – 4 April 1937, Prague) was a Czechs, Czech literary critic, journalist and writer. Biography Baptized Franciscus Aloiysius Šalda, he was born in the family of F ...

''In memoriam Růženy Svobodové''
(Ot. Štorch-Marien 1920). {{DEFAULTSORT:Svobodova, Ruzena 1868 births 1920 deaths People from Mikulovice (Znojmo District) Writers from the Margraviate of Moravia Czech women novelists Czech women short story writers Czech short story writers 20th-century Czech novelists 20th-century women writers Czech women in World War I Writers from Austria-Hungary