Jiří Gruša
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Jiří Gruša (10 November 1938, in
Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...
– 28 October 2011, in Bad Oeynhausen) was a Czech poet, novelist, translator, diplomat and politician.Jiří Gruša (1938-2011)
Stephan Delbos, 31 October 2011, The Prague Post Book Blog


Life and career

Gruša was born in
Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...
, then
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
(present-day
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
), and later moved to Prague. He graduated from the Philosophical Faculty of
Charles University in Prague Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the oldest universities in the world in continuous operation, the oldest university north of the ...
. He worked for periodicals ''Tvář'', ''Sešity'' and ''Nové knihy''. He started coming under the scrutiny of the communist regime of then
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
in 1969 because of his writings. He was banned from publishing and had to work in a construction cooperative. He took part in distribution of samizdat literature. He was arrested in 1974 for "the crime of initiating disorder" after distributing nineteen copies of his first novel, ''Dotazník'' ('' The Questionnaire'') and voicing his intention to have it published in Switzerland."Interview with Jirí Grusa"
Context N°17, Daily Archive Press
After world-wide protest, he was released after two months. He later became a signatory of the human rights document,
Charter 77 Charter 77 (''Charta 77'' in Czech language, Czech and Slovak language, Slovak) was an informal civic initiative in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members ...
. In 1981 his citizenship was revoked, and between 1982 and 1990 he lived in the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1990 conditions in Czechoslovakia became more favorable and he returned to work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1991 to 1997, he served as an ambassador to Germany. Later, he joined the minority government of Václav Klaus as a Minister of Education. The government lost support of the opposition parties and President
Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissol ...
orchestrated establishment of a new caretaker government. Even though Gruša was a non-party minister, he was replaced by Jan Sokol. He served as an ambassador to
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
until 2004. From 2005 to 2009 he was Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. From 2004 to 2009 he was the President of
PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide professional association, association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association ...
. Gruša participated in standardisation of the term "Tschechien" as the official name of the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
in German language. See
Name of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic's official long and short names at the United Nations are and in Czech language, Czech, and the Czech Republic and Czechia () in English. All these names derive from the name of the Czechs, the West Slavs, West Slavic ethnol ...
for overview. Gruša died at the age of 72 on 28 October 2011 during a heart operation in Germany.
Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissol ...
wrote (before his own death a month and a half later on 18 December) that Gruša was "one of a few close people whom I deeply respected and who have left this world recently."


Awards and honors

*2007: Chevalier of the Legion of Honor of France *2006: New Culture of New Europe Award *2002: Jaroslav Seifert Prize


Works

English translated *''Franz Kafka of Prague'', Trans. Eric Mossbacker. *'' The Questionnaire'', Trans. Peter Kussi. Czech language *''Umění stárnout'' he Art of Aging*''Gebrauchsanweisung für Tschechien und Prag'' nstruction Manual for the Czech Republic and Prague*''Grušas Wacht am Rhein aneb Putovní ghetto'' he Watch on the Rhein Original in German *''Beneš als Österreicher'' Wieser Verlag, Klagenfurt 2012


References


External links


Interview with Jiří Gruša (Festival spisovatelů Praha)
* https://web.archive.org/web/20111003170500/http://www.penclub.at/grusa/ (in German and English)
PEN International
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grusa, Jiri Czech male poets Education ministers of the Czech Republic Czech diplomats Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts PEN International Ambassadors of Czechoslovakia to Germany Ambassadors of the Czech Republic to Germany Ambassadors of the Czech Republic to Austria Charter 77 signatories Writers from Pardubice 1938 births 2011 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Czechoslovak expatriates in Germany 20th-century Czech poets Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic) Government ministers Politicians from Pardubice Charles University alumni Diplomatic Academy of Vienna alumni