František Vladislav Hek (11 April 1769 in Dobruška,

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

– 4 September 1847 in Kyšperk) was a Czech writer, composer, and patriot active in the early phases of the Czech National Revival. He was a major inspiration behind the fictionalized novel '' F. L. Věk'' (1906) by

Alois Jirásek Alois Jirásek () (23 August 1851, Hronov, Kingdom of Bohemia – 12 March 1930, Prague) was a Czech writer, author of historical novels and plays. Jirásek was a high school history teacher in Litomyšl and later in Prague until his retirement ...

Biography

Hek was the son of a shopkeeper (of

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

origin) from Dobruška. He received his primary education in Dobruška and in

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 ...

(from 1779) and from 1782 he studied at a

Piarists The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum Piarum), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the ...

gymnasium in Prague. In Prague, Hek met the Czech patriots concentrated around

Václav Matěj Kramerius Václav Matěj Kramerius (, he preferred to write his name in old form as Kraméryus; February 9, 1753 in Klatovy, Bohemia – March 22, 1808 in Prague) was a Czech publisher, journalist and writer, one of the most important early figures of the ...

' publishing house ''Česká expedice'' and around the Czech theatre groups. In the second half of the 1780s, he returned to Dobruška to take over his father's shop. Hek also served as a local agent for Kramerius, loaned books from his large personal library (3,284 volumes in 1806) and tried to organize a local Czech theatre, which was forbidden by authorities. A fire in 1806 completely destroyed his shop and he lost money during the

state bankruptcy A sovereign default is the failure or refusal of the government of a sovereign state to pay back Government debt, its debt in full when due. Cessation of due payments (or receivables) may either be accompanied by that government's formal declar ...

of the

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in 1811. From 1806, he cooperated with Josef Liboslav Ziegler (1782–1846), a patriotic priest. In 1821, his wife died and he retired. Hek then lived, among other places, in the Saxonian town of

Herrnhut Herrnhut ( Sorbian: ''Ochranow''; cs, Ochranov) is an Upper Lusatian town in the Görlitz district in Saxony, Germany, known for the community of the Moravian Church established by Nicolas Ludwig, Count von Zinzendorf in 1722. Geography It is ...

( cs, Ochranov), a center of Czech

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exile, and for the last years of his life in Kyšperk (today Letohrad) with his daughter. The historical novel ''F.L. Věk'' by Alois Jirásek is based on Hek's life, as described in his autobiography. A television series, '' F.L. Věk'', was shot in 1971. The City Museum of Dobruška owns Hek's birth house, and has hosted an exhibition about Hek in the building since 1972. Dobruška's main square was named after F.L. Věk.

Work

The majority of the Hek's works were published after 1806; the 1820s were his most active period. The most important were his satirical

epigram An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word is derived from the Greek "inscription" from "to write on, to inscribe", and the literary device has been employed for over two mill ...

s. In 1820, he published book of epigrams ''Velký pátek'' ( en, Great Friday), a scathing critique of provincialism in Dobruška. An example of his epigrams is: "The greater the fool, the more titles he needs" ( cs, Čím větší vůl, tím více titulů). Predictably, the work was banned and confiscated, and only two original copies are known today. Hek was sentenced to three weeks in prison, though he was pardoned due to bad health, and was harassed by authorities in Dobruška ever thereafter. While living in Ochranov (Herrnhut), he translated old texts of Czech exiles into

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. His best known music works were composed during the 1830–40s. Hek also wrote his own autobiography in German.

Literature

* Jan Jakubec: ''Dějiny literatury české'' (''History of Czech Literature''), volume I 1929, volume II 1934. *

: F.L. Věk * Ladislav Hladký (director of the museum in Dobruška): ''F. Vl. Hek (F. L. Věk)'', 1972.

External links

Museum in Dobruška: short information about Hek, photo
(in Czech, scroll down)
Short biography
(in Czech) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hek, Frantisek Vladislav 1769 births 1847 deaths People from Dobruška Czech male writers Czech language activists