About
Vítězslav Nezval was a leading figure of the Czech avant-garde. A co-founder of the Devětsil collective in 1922 and of the Poetist movement, he also initiated the Czechoslovak Surrealist Group in 1934. His poetic work, marked by imagination and experimentation, includes collections such as 'Edison' and 'Prague with Fingers of Rain'. He also wrote the surrealist novel 'Valerie and Her Week of Wonders'. A prolific translator, he introduced Czech readers to French and Spanish authors.
* 1900-05-26 — † 1958-04-06
Major works
- Edison (1930)poetry
- Prague with Fingers of Rain (1936)poetry
- Woman in the Plural (1936)poetry
- The Absolute Gravedigger (1937)poetry
- Valerie and Her Week of Wondersnovel
Key milestones
- 1922Co-founded the avant-garde artists' collective Devětsil.
- 1934Co-founded the Surrealist Group of Czechoslovakia, the first surrealist group outside France.
- 1958Died in Prague and was buried at Vyšehrad Cemetery.
Themes
SurrealismAvant-gardeImaginationPoetismTranslation
Sources: id.loc.gov · bloodaxebooks.com