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Petr Bezruč () was the
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
of Vladimír Vašek (; 15 September 1867 – 17 February 1958), a Czech
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
and
short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
writer who was associated with the region of Austrian Silesia. His most notable work is ''Silesian Songs,'' a collection of poems about the inhabitants of
Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
, written over many years.


Life

Petr Bezruč was born Vladimír Vašek in
Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...
in 1867 to Antonín Vašek and Marie Vašková (
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Brožková). Antonín was a teacher and public intellectual who published the first Czech-language newspaper in Silesia, ''Opavský Besedník''. Bezruč had five siblings; three brothers, Ladislav, Otakar, and Antonín; and two sisters, Olga and Helena. In 1873, his family was forced to move to
Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
due to his father's pro-Czech activities. Bezruč grew up in Brno, but spent the summers in the town of Háj ve Slezsku, where his father Antonín would hunt. In 1880, Antonín died of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. In 1881, Petr Bezruč began studying at the Slovanské Gymnázium in Brno (today's Gymnázium Kapitána Jaroše). From 1885 to 1888, Bezruč studied classical
philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...
at
Charles University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...
in
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 ...
, but he never completed his studies. During his time in Prague, Bezruč became more and more melancholic and introverted. He did, however, meet several authors who would be influential in his later life, including Jan and Vilém Mrštík, and learned from professors including T. G. Masaryk and Otakar Hostinský. In 1888, Bezruč moved back to Brno, because his family was in a tough financial situation. He published his first work, the short story ''Studie z Café Lustig'', under the pseudonym Ratibor Suk in the magazine Švanda Dudák. In 1891, after completing trade school to work as a postal officer, he was sent to the small town of Místek. Bezruč's time in Místek from 1891 to 1893 was crucial for ''Silesian Songs''. Much of the material for the poetry came from Bezruč's experiences there. In particular, he was deeply struck by the extreme poverty of the region and the resilience of the local people. In 1893, Petr Bezruč's best friend, Ondřej Boleslav Petr, committed suicide, and Bezruč requested to be transferred back to Brno. In 1894, Bezruč's mother died and he began to take care of his younger brother Antonín, as well as to visit his brother Ladislav in Kostelec na Hané, which marked the beginning of his deep connection towards the
Haná Haná or Hanakia ( or ''Hanácko'', or ''Hanakei'') is an ethnographic region in central Moravia in the Czech Republic. Etymology The region was named after the Haná (river), Haná River. Description Its core area is located along the ep ...
region. In 1899, he sent poetry to the magazine ''Čas'', using the pseudonym Petr Bezruč for the first time.  Editor Jan Herben immediately recognized the quality of the poetry, and wanted to publish three poems, but because of Austrian
censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...
was only able to publish one. Over the next few years, Bezruč had his poetry published regularly in ''Čas''. His first collection of poems was published in book form in 1903. In 1909, his poems were published with the collection title ''Silesian Songs'' for the first time. In 1915, Bezruč was accused of writing two pro-Russian poems which appeared in the French magazine ''L’Indépendance Tchéque'', which were signed P.B., but actually written by Jan Grmela. Bezruč was arrested under charges of
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...
, which was punishable by death. The military court found him innocent after failing to find evidence he had written the poems, but nevertheless moved him to a jail in Brno. With his literary success rising, including a translation of ''Silesian Songs'' to German, he was released later in 1916, although lawsuits continued until October 1918. In the last forty years of his life, ''Silesian Songs'' was printed more and more frequently, and Bezruč was considered a Czech
national poet A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbol, to be distinguished ...
. At the same time, however, he became more and more introverted and isolated from society. He enjoyed hiking in the Beskydy mountains. Bezruč never published a work of the same acclaim as ''Silesian Songs''. In 1945,  he was awarded the title of národní umělec (national artist) by the Czechoslovak government. From 1939 until his death, he lived in Kostelec na Hané. He died in the
Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...
hospital in 1958 at the age of 90. He was buried in Opava.


Works

Bezruč's fame is almost entirely due to the poetry collection ''Silesian Songs'', which generally portrays the people of Silesia as an oppressed group, suffering from foreign exploitation and the negative effects of industrialization. The poems are intended for a working class audience. The themes of the poems could resonate with any colonized group of people, or people feeling left behind by modernization. Specific poems in the collection deal with themes such as love, poverty, oppression at the hands of other ethnicities, and poems about specific towns or locations.


Dispute over the authorship of Silesian Songs

Due to the fact that Petr Bezruč never wrote a similarly well-acclaimed collection of poems in his long life, as well as due to several details in the poems themselves, some critics have argued that ''Silesian Songs'' may in fact have multiple authors. Author and literary historian Jan Drozd argued that Vladimír Vašek co-wrote Silesian Songs with his friend Ondřej Boleslav Petr, and that Petr Bezruč is their collective pseudonym. Folklorist and rock musician
Jaromír Nohavica Jaromír Nohavica or Jarek Nohavica (born 7 June 1953, in Ostrava) is a Czech recording artist, songwriter, lyricist and poet. Early life He was born in Ostrava and has played guitar since he was 13. He began studies at the Technical Unive ...
argues that Ondřej Boleslav Petr is the author of around 10 of the poems in the ''Silesian Songs'' collection. In 2014, the Czech Literature Bureau of the
Czech Academy of Sciences The Czech Academy of Sciences (abbr. CAS, , abbr. AV ČR) was established in 1992 by the Czech National Council as the Czech successor of the former Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and its tradition goes back to the Royal Bohemian Society of Sc ...
published a new edition of ''Silesian Songs'' and criticized the hypothesis that anyone other than Vladimír Vašek wrote any of the poems in the collection.


His birthplace

During his lifetime his fame was such that his birthplace became a heritage site. Today this building is managed by the Silesian Museum in Opava. The museum actually contains the documents belonging to 85 important people of literature. This makes the building and its contents to be of national importance. Actually the building is not the birthplace as the actual building was destroyed during World War Two. This building was built on the site of his birth after a campaign starting in 1946 and finishing in 1956. In 1958 it was decided that this museum should be managed by Opava's Silesian museum. The museum also owns the copyright to his works in line with his instructions.The Memorial
Silesian Museum, retrieved 20 August 2014


Bibliography

Poetry *''Slezské písně'' ( Silesian Songs) (1899–1900) - one of the fundamental books of Czech poetry *''Stužkonoska modrá'' (The Blue Underwing) (1930) *''Přátelům a nepřátelům'' (To My Friends and Enemies) (1958) Prose *''Povídky ze života'' (Tales of Life) (1957) - short stories


Honours

The asteroid 3096 Bezruč was named in honour of Petr Bezruč.


See also

* List of Czech writers


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bezruc, Petr 1867 births 1958 deaths Writers from Opava Czech poets Czech male poets Charles University alumni Writers from Austria-Hungary