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

Early life

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

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

. Her family moved to

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 ...

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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Marie Pujmanová Marie Pujmanová (née Hennerová; 8 June 1893, Prague – 19 May 1958, Prague) was a Czechoslovak poet and novelist. She was a founding figure in Czechoslovak Socialist realism and has been referred to as a "tough-minded Stalinist Stali ...

Antonín Sova Anton may refer to: People * Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Anton (surname) Places * Anton Municipality, Bulgaria ** Anton, Sofia Province, a village * Antón District, Panama ** Antón, a town and capital ...

, and

Vilém Mrštík Vilém Mrštík (; 14 May 1863 in Jimramov – 2 March 1912 in Diváky) was a Czech writer and dramatist. Career He is known for his novel ''Santa Lucia'' (1893). With his brother, Alois (1861–1925) he also wrote the drama '' Maryša'' (1894). ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

she signed the

Manifesto of Czech writers The Manifesto of Czech writers (Czech, ''Manifest českých spisovatelů'') was the first public declaration in favour of the self-determination of the Czech nation during the First World War. It was published in May 1917. The declaration was dire ...

, 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 as Knizeci myslivec Jiri * Jaroslav Průcha Jaroslav Průcha (24 April 1898 – 25 April 1963) ...

'' 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) Slavín is a tomb at the Vyšehrad Cemetery in Prague. Many notable Czech personalities are interred in the tomb. History The idea of the establishment of the wiktionary:pantheon, pantheon, a final resting place for outstanding Czech personalit ...

, 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 () is a masculine given name of Czech origin. It is a cognate of Francis, Francisco, François, and Franz. People with the name include: *Frank Daniel (František Daniel) (1926–1996), Czech film director, producer, and screenwriter ...

''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