Václav Kliment Klicpera (23 November 1792 – 15 September 1859) 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' Places * Czech, ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, writer, and poet. He was one of the first presenters of Czech

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

, and was especially influential in the foundation of

comedic Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term ...

Czech theatre. Klicpera was born in

Chlumec nad Cidlinou Chlumec nad Cidlinou (; german: Chlumetz an der Zidlina) is a town in Hradec Králové District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,600 inhabitants. Administrative parts The town is made up of town parts of Chlume ...

. After graduating from a gymnasium (a European secondary school) in 1813, he 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 ...

. There he studied

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

in 1816 and

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

in 1818. In June 1819 he was made a professor at a gymnasium in

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; german: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...

. In 1850 he became

schoolmaster The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled afte ...

of a

gymnasium. He was skilled in writing

chivalric Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed ...

plays and patriotically-themed historical dramas that became the foundation of modern Czech drama. He is also recognized for his

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

s (in Czech ''frašky''), in the Plautine tradition. He also wrote historical romance stories, plays from his own era, and plays with

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cult ...

motifs. Klicpera supported the advancement of Czech theatre through the publication of plays in the ''Klicpera's theatre'' edition. He died in Prague and is buried in the city'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 ar ...

Works

* ''Divotvorný klobouk'', 1820 * ''Hadrián z Římsů'', 1821 * ''Ján za chrta dán'', 1829 * ''Rohovín Čtverrohý'', 1825 * ''Zlý jelen'', 1849

External links

2001 "Czechs in History" article on Radio Praha website
1792 births 1859 deaths Czech male dramatists and playwrights Czech male poets Czech schoolteachers People from Chlumec nad Cidlinou 19th-century Czech poets 19th-century Czech dramatists and playwrights 19th-century male writers Burials at Olšany Cemetery {{CzechRepublic-writer-stub