František "Franta" Sauer (4 December 1882 – 26 March 1947) 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 *Czech (surnam ...

writer and close friend of fellow writer

Jaroslav Hašek Jaroslav Hašek (; 1883–1923) was a Czechs, Czech writer, Humorism, humorist, Satire, satirist, journalist, Bohemianism, bohemian, first anarchist and then communist, and commissar of the Red Army against the Czechoslovak Legion. He is best k ...

Early life

Franta Sauer was the seventh of eight children born to Barbora Sauerová (née Hájková) and Jan Sauer 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 ...

. Even though Sauer's parents were illiterate and poor, Sauer was an avid reader throughout his childhood. His father worked as a yardmaster on the railway and as a street hot dog vendor before he got injured and had to stop work. His mother worked as a maid. After struggling in a traditional school, Sauer enrolled in a vocational school to become a locksmith. After completing his training, he returned to the District of Prague

Žižkov Žižkov ( or ''Zizkow'', between 1939 and 1945 ''Veitsberg'') is a cadastral district of Prague, Czech Republic. Most of Žižkov lies in the municipal and administrative district of Prague 3, except for very small parts which are in Pra ...

, where he lived with his mother and sister.

Politics

For a short period of time, Sauer was a member of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

and was eventually imprisoned for his left-wing views. News outlets frequently discussed stories about Sauer's life. In November 1918, Sauer organized the demolition of the Marian Column of Prague in the

Old Town Square Old Town Square ( or colloquially , ) is a historic square in the Old Town quarter of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. It is located between Wenceslas Square and Charles Bridge. Buildings The square features buildings belonging t ...

. On 4 November 1923, he confessed to organizing the demolition in an article published in

Rudé právo ''Rudé právo'' ( Czech for ''Red Justice'' or ''The Red Right'') was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. History and profile ''Rudé právo'' was founded in 1920 when the party was splitting from the social demo ...

. During his trial, he claimed that although he was motivated by patriotism to remove the column, he had no intention of damaging it. As his actions were not barred, he was not sanctioned after his trial. In 1918, Sauer organized the club Černá Ruka in the

, which helped move homeless people into classified apartments.

Ivan Olbracht Ivan Olbracht, born Kamil Zeman (6 January 1882 – 20 December 1952), was a Czech people, Czech writer, journalist, censor and translator of German language, German prose. Biography The son of writer Antal Stašek and his Jewish-born Catholic ...

mentioned the club's actions in his novel

Anna Proletářka ''Anna Proletářka'' is a 1953 Czechoslovak film based on the novel by Ivan Olbracht. The movie was filmed on location in Osek, and Prague. It was released on 20 February 1953. It describes proletarian The proletariat (; ) is the social cla ...

. At the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Sauer was arrested for distributing publications by T. G. Masaryk and was relocated to

Terezín Terezín (; ) is a town in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,900 inhabitants. It is a former military fortress composed of the citadel and adjacent walled garrison town. The town centre i ...

. He was released in 1945 because he suffered from

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 ...

Friendship with Jaroslav Hašek

In 1921–1922, Sauer co-published his first book,

The Good Soldier Švejk ''The Good Soldier Švejk'' () is an unfinished satirical dark comedy novel by Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek, published in 1921–1923, about a good-humored, simple-minded, middle-aged man who appears to be enthusiastic to serve Austria-Hungary i ...

, with Hašek. Sauer raised enough funds to publish the first edition and wrote the sequel with Hašek from the book's proceeds.

Death and legacy

He appeared in front of a camera for the last time in 1947 in ''Čapek's Tales''. Sauer died of tuberculosis in 1947; before his death, he made a general confession in the , including that he regretted the demolition of Marian Column and begged for forgiveness from the priest. After being given his last rites, he died in the Pod Petřínem hospital and was buried in the Olšany cemeteries. In 2016, the City of Prague adopted his grave. His spiritual evolution is mentioned in the poem Pražská legenda (The Prague Legend) by Václav Renč.

Work

Aside from his own name, Sauer published under the pseudonyms Fr. Habán, Franta Habán from the Žižkov, and Franta Kysela. Between 1911 and 1935, Sauer was published in journals such as

České slovo ''České slovo'' (), also known as Svobodné slovo () was a Czech daily newspaper, founded and continuously published in Prague since 1907, by Melantrich, Publishing House Melantrich, until its cancellation in 1997. The newspaper was founded by U ...

, Právo lidu,

, and Trn.

Books

* ''Naše luza jezuité a diplomaté'' * ''In memoriam Jaroslava Haška'' * ''Pašeráci'' * ''Emil Artur Longen a Xena'' * ''Pašeráci'' * ''Haškův poslední podnik'' * ''Franta Habán ze Žižkova''

Theater plays

* ''Franta Habán ze Žižkova'' (1933) * ''Haškův poslední podnik'' (1946)

Filmography

* 1947 '' Čapkovy povídky'' * 1931 ''Miláček pluku'' * 1931 ''Poslední bohém'' * 1931 ''Skalní ševci'' * 1931 '' Ze soboty na neděli''

Inspiration

* František Sauer is a character in the novel ''Anna Proletářka'' by

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sauer, Franta Czech writers 1882 births 1947 deaths Writers from Prague People from the Kingdom of Bohemia Czech male novelists 20th-century Czech novelists 20th-century Czech male writers 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Czechoslovakia Theresienstadt Ghetto survivors