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Karel Čapek
Karel Čapek (; 9 January 1890 – 25 December 1938) was a Czech writer, playwright, critic and journalist. He has become best known for his science fiction, including his novel '' War with the Newts'' (1936) and play '' R.U.R.'' (''Rossum's Universal Robots'', 1920), which introduced the word ''robot''.Oxford English Dictionary: robot n2 He also wrote many politically charged works dealing with the social turmoil of his time. Influenced by American pragmatic liberalism, he campaigned in favor of free expression and strongly opposed the rise of both fascism and communism in Europe. Though nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times, Čapek never received it. However, several awards commemorate his name, such as the Karel Čapek Prize, awarded every other year by the Czech PEN Club for literary work that contributes to reinforcing or maintaining democratic and humanist values in society. He also played a key role in establishing the Czechoslovak PEN Club as a part ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malé Svatoňovice
Malé Svatoňovice (; ) is a municipality and village in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,600 inhabitants. It is known as the birthplace of writer Karel Čapek. Administrative division Malé Svatoňovice consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Malé Svatoňovice (1,197) *Odolov (307) *Petrovice (73) *Strážkovice (99) Geography Malé Svatoňovice is located about southeast of Trutnov and northeast of Hradec Králové. It lies in the Broumov Highlands, in the microregion of Jestřebí hory. The highest point is at above sea level. History The first written mention of Svatoňovice is from 1357. From the 18th century, flax was grown in the vicinity of the village and the linen industry developed. In 1826, Svatoňovice was divided into Velké Svatoňovice and Malé Svatoňovice, but they merged again in 1850. Since 1880, they have been divided into two separate municipalities. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Travel Literature
The genre of travel literature or travelogue encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs. History Early examples of travel literature include the '' Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (generally considered a 1st century CE work; authorship is debated), Pausanias' ''Description of Greece'' in the 2nd century CE, '' Safarnama'' (Book of Travels) by Nasir Khusraw (1003-1077), the '' Journey Through Wales'' (1191) and '' Description of Wales'' (1194) by Gerald of Wales, and the travel journals of Ibn Jubayr (1145–1214), Marco Polo (1254–1354), and Ibn Battuta (1304–1377), all of whom recorded their travels across the known world in detail. As early as the 2nd century CE, Lucian of Samosata discussed history and travel writers who added embellished, fantastic stories to their works. The travel genre was a fairly common genre in medieval Arabic literature. In China, 'travel record literature' () became popular during the Song ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Order Of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
The Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk () is an order (decoration), Order of the Czech Republic and the former Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1990 after the Velvet Revolution, and re-established in 1994 (following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia). The President of the Czech Republic awards it to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the development of democracy, humanity and human rights. Unlike in the past, it is awarded to the Czech citizens and foreigners alike. The order has five classes, of which class I is the highest. The order is named in honor of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, an advocate of Czechoslovak independence and the first President of Czechoslovakia. Design The insignia was designed by Vladimír Oppl. The badge is a blue enameled star-shaped ornament with Masaryk's portrait placed in the center. A medallion placed centrally on the reverse of the badge bears the Greater Coat of arms of the Czech Republic, Coat of Arms of the Czech Republic e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Krakatit
''Krakatit'' is a 1948 Czechoslovak science fiction mystery film directed by Otakar Vávra, starring Karel Höger as a chemist who suffers from delirium and regret after inventing a powerful explosive. The film is based on Karel Čapek's novel with the same title, written in 1922. The name is derived from the volcano Krakatoa, which violently erupted in 1883. Plot A barely conscious, unidentified man is given intensive care by a doctor and a nurse. The man's hands are badly burned and cut. The doctor tells the nurse to give the man oxygen. A sequence begins where the man walks along a street while in a delirium. An old classmate, Jiří Tomeš, greets him and we learn that the man's name is Prokop. He speaks incoherently about an explosion and something he calls krakatit. Jiří brings him home and puts him in bed. In a dream, a university professor asks Prokop about krakatit. He answers that it is a powerful explosive, named after the volcano Krakatoa, and explains its formula. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Absolute At Large
''The Absolute at Large'' (''Továrna na absolutno'' in the original Czech, literally translated as ''The Factory for the Absolute''), is a science fiction novel written by Czech author Karel Čapek in 1922. The first sentence opens the story on New Year's Day 1943 - a future date at the time of writing - and describes the fundamental transformations in society as the result of a new mystical source of virtually free energy. Plot The story centers on the invention of a reactor that can annihilate matter to produce cheap and abundant energy. Unfortunately, it produces something else as a by-product, the ''absolute''. The ''absolute'' is a spiritual essence that according to some religious philosophies permeates all matter. It is associated with human religious experience, as an unsuspecting humanity is to find out all too soon in the story. The widespread adoption of the reactors cause an enormous outpouring of pure ''absolute'' into the world. This leads to an outburst of religio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The White Disease
''The White Plague'' () is a play written by Czech writer Karel Čapek in 1937. Written at a time of increasing threat from Nazi Germany to Czechoslovakia, it portrays a human response to a tense, prewar situation in an unnamed country that greatly resembles Germany with one extra addition: an uncurable ''white disease'', a form of leprosy, is selectively killing off people older than 45. It was adapted as the film '' Skeleton on Horseback'' by Hugo Haas. Plot A disease known as ''morbus chengi'' or the "White Disease" is spreading throughout the world. The disease has symptoms similar to leprosy and strangely only affects those older than forty-five, typically killing its victims within 3-5 months. The pandemic has sent a panic across the country, especially among the older generations; however, the government, led by a dictator known simply as the ''Marshal'', is more focused on using the pandemic as an opportunity for war than finding a cure. Doctor Galén (a reference to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
War With The Newts
''War with the Newts'' (''Válka s Mloky'' in the original Czech), also translated as ''Salamander Wars'', is a 1936 satirical science fiction novel by Czech author Karel Čapek. It concerns the discovery in the Indian Ocean of a sea-dwelling race, an intelligent breed of newts, who are initially enslaved and exploited. They acquire human knowledge and rebel, leading to a global war for supremacy.''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', Peter Nicholls, Granada, 1981, There are obvious similarities to Čapek's earlier '' R.U.R.'', but also some original themes. ''War with the Newts'' was described as a "classic work" of science fiction by science fiction author and critic Damon Knight. Plot summary Only the last four of the book's 27 chapters deal with the eponymous war. The rest of the book is concerned with the discovery of the Newts, their exploitation and evolution, and growing tensions between humans and the Newts in the lead-up to the war. The book does not have any sing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lidové Noviny
''Lidové noviny'' (''People's News'', or ''The People's Newspaper'', ) is a daily newspaper published in Prague, the Czech Republic. It is the oldest Czech daily still in print, and a newspaper of record. It is a national news daily covering political, economic, cultural and scientific affairs, mostly with a centre-right, conservative view. It often hosts commentaries and opinions of prominent personalities from the Czech Republic and from abroad. History and profile ''Lidové noviny'' was founded by Adolf Stránský in 1893 in Brno. Its high prestige was due to the number of famous Czech personalities that were contributing—writers, politicians and philosophers—and its attention toward foreign politics and culture. It was also the first Czech daily publishing political cartoons. Its publication was interrupted during World War II. The newspaper changed its name to ''Svobodné noviny'' after the liberation before returning to the original name from 9 May 1948. It was closed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Literary Realism
Literary realism is a movement and genre of literature that attempts to represent mundane and ordinary subject-matter in a faithful and straightforward way, avoiding grandiose or exotic subject-matter, exaggerated portrayals, and speculative elements such as supernatural events and alternative worlds. It encompasses both fiction (''realistic fiction'') and nonfiction writing. Literary realism is a subset of the broader realist art movement that began with mid- nineteenth-century French literature ( Stendhal) and Russian literature (Alexander Pushkin). It attempts to represent familiar things, including everyday activities and experiences, as they truly are. Background Broadly defined as "the representation of reality", realism in the arts is the attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding artistic conventions, as well as implausible, exotic and supernatural elements. Realism has been prevalent in the arts at many periods, and is in large ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Literary Modernism
Modernist literature originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is characterised by a self-conscious separation from traditional ways of writing in both poetry and prose fiction writing. Modernism experimented with literary form and expression, as exemplified by Ezra Pound's maxim to "Make it new". This literary movement was driven by a conscious desire to overturn traditional modes of representation and express the new sensibilities of the time. The immense human costs of the First World War saw the prevailing assumptions about society reassessed, and much modernist writing engages with the technological advances and societal changes of modernity moving into the 20th century. In ''Modernist Literature'', Mary Ann Gillies notes that these literary themes share the "centrality of a conscious break with the past", one that "emerges as a complex response across continents and disciplines to a changing world". Modernism, Romanticism, Philosophy and Symbol Literary mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libretto
A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as the Mass (liturgy), Mass, requiem and sacred cantata, or the story line of a ballet. The Italian language, Italian word (, ) is the diminutive of the word ''wiktionary:libro#Italian, libro'' ("book"). Sometimes other-language cognates, equivalents are used for libretti in that language, ''livret'' for French works, ''Textbuch'' for German and ''libreto'' for Spanish. A libretto is distinct from a synopsis or scenario of the plot, in that the libretto contains all the words and stage directions, while a synopsis summarizes the plot. Some ballet historians also use the word ''libretto'' to refer to the 15- to 40-page books which were on sale to 19th century ballet audiences in Paris and contained ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Art Criticism
Art criticism is the discussion or evaluation of visual art. Art critics usually criticize art in the context of aesthetics or the theory of beauty. A goal of art criticism is the pursuit of a rational basis for art appreciation but it is questionable whether such criticism can transcend prevailing socio-political circumstances. The variety of Art movement, artistic movements has resulted in a division of art criticism into different disciplines which may each use different criteria for their judgements. The most common division in the field of criticism is between historical criticism and evaluation, a form of art history, and contemporary criticism of work by living artists. Despite perceptions that art criticism is a much lower risk activity than making art, opinions of current art are always liable to drastic corrections with the passage of time. Critics of the past are often ridiculed for dismissing artists now venerated (like the early work of the Impressionists). Some ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
