Jindřich Hořejší (25 April 1886 – 30 May 1941) was a Czech poet and translator.

Biography

Hořejší was born in to a working-class family. In 1904, after he graduated from secondary school, he published his poems in the school's alumni almanac. He began studying at the

Czech Technical University in Prague Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) () is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic with 8 faculties, and is one of the oldest institutes of technology in Central Europe. It is also the oldest non-military technical universi ...

for one year. In June 1905, he left the university and went on foot to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He earned living by doing odd jobs and contributing to a number of magazines. He studied philosophy, French language and literature at the Sorbonne in Paris and economics in

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

, where he received his diploma in 1909. With the beginning of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Hořejší burned all of his written works and enlisted in the army, where he then fought on the Russian front. After 1918, he worked as a clerk in the Ministry of Public Supply, and from 1922 until the end of his life he was a contracted translator into French at the State Statistical Office in Prague. During the 1920s, Hořejší was a member of the group

Devětsil The Devětsil () was an association of Czech people, Czech avant-garde artists, founded in 1920 in Prague. From 1923 on there was also an active group in Brno. The movement discontinued its activities in 1930 (1927 in Brno). History Founded as Um ...

and primarily wrote in the style of Proletarian poetry. Hořejší also worked as a translator of plays for multiple theatres. Towards the end of his life, he fell ill with lung disease. Hořejší died is buried in

Vyšehrad Cemetery Established in 1869 on the grounds of Vyšehrad Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, the Vyšehrad Cemetery () is the final resting place of many composers, artists, sculptors, writers, and those from the world of science and politics. The center ...

Works

* ''Hudba na náměstí'' – (1921) * ''Korálový náhrdelník'' – (1923) * ''Den a noc'' – (1931)

Translations

From French, Hořejší translated works by

Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire (; ; born Kostrowicki; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist and art critic of Poland, Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the ...

Jehan Rictus Jehan Rictus (21 September 1867 – 6 November 1933) was a French poet. He was born Gabriel Randon in Boulogne-sur-Mer. In the 1900s, he legally changed his name to his mother's name Randon de Saint-Amand. After an unhappy childhood and poor begi ...

, and

Tristan Corbière Tristan Corbière (18 July 1845 – 1 March 1875), born Édouard-Joachim Corbière, was a French poet born in Coat-Congar, Ploujean (now part of Morlaix) in Brittany, where he lived most of his life before dying of tuberculosis at the age of ...

, as well as other prose and dramatic works. He translated the novel ''

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 ...

'' by

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 ...

into French.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horejsi, Jindrich 1886 births 1941 deaths Writers from Prague 20th-century Czech poets 20th-century Czech translators 20th-century Czech dramatists and playwrights Burials at Vyšehrad Cemetery