The ''Májovci'' ("''May'' School") were a significant group of Czech novelists and poets of the second half of the 19th century, who were inspired by the work of Karel Hynek Mácha,

Karel Havlíček Borovský Karel Havlíček Borovský (; Borová, today ''Havlíčkova Borová;'' 31 October 1821 – 29 July 1856) was a Czech writer, poet, critic, politician, journalist, and publisher. Early life and education He lived and studied at the Gymnasium ...

and

Karel Jaromír Erben Karel Jaromír Erben (; 7 November 1811 – 21 November 1870) was a Czech folklorist and poet of the mid-19th century, best known for his collection '' Kytice'', which contains poems based on traditional and folkloric themes. He also wrote ''P ...

. After the fall of Metternich's absolutism in the

Revolution of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...

, there appeared on the scene a young generation preoccupied with urban life and contemporary social problems, and determined to reintroduce Czech as a literary language. Politically they promoted the cause of liberty, democracy, and social justice, fighting the reactionary Bach government and making efforts to improve the status of the Czech nation within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The first yearbook of the group was published in 1858. Named ''

Máj ''Máj'' ( Czech for the month ''May''; ) is a romantic poem by Karel Hynek Mácha in four cantos. It was fiercely criticized when first published, but since then has gained the status of one of the most prominent works of Czech literature; in t ...

'' ("May") after Mácha's great poem, it included contributions by

Jan Neruda Jan Nepomuk Neruda (Czech: �jan ˈnɛpomuk ˈnɛruda 9 July 1834 – 22 August 1891) was a Czech journalist, writer, poet and art critic; one of the most prominent representatives of Czech Realism and a member of the " May School". Early lif ...

and

Vítězslav Hálek Vítězslav Hálek (; 5 April 1835, in Odolena Voda – 8 October 1874), also known as Vincenc Hálek, was a Czech poet, writer, journalist, dramatist and theatre critic. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the May Schoo ...

, as well as Adolf Heyduk, Rudolf Mayer,

Karolina Světlá Karolina Světlá (born Johana Rottová) (24 February 1830 in Prague – 7 September 1899 in Prague) was a Czech female author of the 19th century. She was associated with the literary May School. She married Professor Petr Mužák (1821–1892) ...

Jakub Arbes Jakub Arbes (12 June 1840, Prague ( Smíchov) – 8 April 1914) was a Czech writer and intellectual. He is best known as the creator of the literary genre called '' romanetto'' and spent much of his professional life in France. Life and Polit ...

, Karel Sabina, Josef Václav Frič and Gustav Pfleger Moravský. Their verse tales were described as

Byronic The Byronic hero is a variant of the Romantic hero as a type of character, named after the English Romantic poet Lord Byron. Both Byron's own persona as well as characters from his writings are considered to provide defining features to the cha ...

although the closer influence was probably

Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

. Their efforts were to a great extent responsible for bringing Czech literature into the European mainstream. They were major advocates of the National Theatre of Prague, for which the foundation stone was laid in 1868. Their reformist concerns were also reflected in journalistic endeavours. Newspapers and magazines associated with the ''Májovci'' include ''Národní listy'', ''Čas'', ''Lumír'', and ''Květy''. Later groups included the '' Lumírovci'' (connected with the newspaper ''Lumír'') and the '' Ruchovci'' (connected with the National Theatre).

List of famous ''Májovci''

* Josef Václav Frič *

* Ignát Herrmann * Adolf Heyduk * Rudolf Mayer *

* Gustav Pfleger Moravský * Karel Sabina *

* Josef Barák *

Božena Němcová Božena Němcová () (4 February 1820 in Vienna – 21 January 1862 in Prague) was a Czech writer of the final phase of the '' Czech National Revival'' movement. Her image is featured on the 500 CZK denomination of the Česká koruna. Biogra ...

Literary societies Czech literature {{lit-org-stub