Bohumil Hrabal (; 28 March 1914 – 3 February 1997) was a Czech writer, often named among the best Czech writers of the 20th century.
Early life
Hrabal was born in Židenice (suburb of Brno) on 28 March 1914, in what was then the province of Moravia within Austria-Hungary, to an unmarried mother, Marie Božena Kiliánová (1894–1970). According to the organisers of a 2009 Hrabal exhibition in Brno, his biological father was probably Bohumil Blecha (1893–1970), a teacher's son a year older than Marie, who was her friend from the neighbourhood. Marie's parents opposed the idea of their daughter marrying Blecha, as he was about to serve in the Austro-Hungarian Army. World War I started four months after Hrabal's birth, and Blecha was sent to the Italian front, before being invalided out of service. Blecha's daughter, Drahomíra Blechová-Kalvodová, says her father told her when she was 18 that Hrabal was her half-brother. Bohumil and his biological father never met formally, according to Blechová-Kalvodová. and Tomáš Kilián (died 1925), a descendant of a French soldier injured at the Battle of Austerlitz, in Brno, while his mother worked in Polná as an assistant book-keeper in the town's brewery. She worked there with her future husband, František Hrabal (1889– 1966); one František Hrabal was listed as Bohumil's godfather when he was baptised on 4 April 1914, but František was also the first name of Bohumil's future step-grandfather, a soft-drinks trader. František Hrabal, Hrabal's stepfather, was a friend of Blecha. and in Gaps, the second volume of his autobiographical trilogy, Hrabal wrote that he declined an invitation to meet his biological father and considered František Hrabal to be his father.
Marie and František married in February 1917, shortly before Bohumil's second birthday. Hrabal's half-brother, Břetislav Josef Hrabal (1916–1985), was born later that year; Břetislav, known as Slávek, is said to have been an excellent raconteur. Both Marie and František were involved in amateur dramatics, though Marie was more active. Hrabal later recalled having a complex about this, and feeling embarrassed by her being the centre of attention.
thumb|right|250px|Hrabal's portraits on [[Postřižinské beers]]
Hrabal's uncle was Bohuslav Kilián (1892–1942), a lawyer, journalist and publisher of the cultural magazines Salon and Měsíc. The latter had a German version, Der Monat, that was distributed throughout Europe, but not in Nazi Germany.
In 1920, Hrabal started primary school in Nymburk. In September 1925, he spent one year at a grammar school in Brno (now Gymnázium třída Kapitána Jaroše, later attended by Milan Kundera). He failed the first year, and later attended a technical secondary school in Nymburk. There too he struggled to concentrate on his studies, despite extra tutoring from his uncle. as Czech universities were shut down in 1939 and remained so until the end of Nazi occupation. During the war, he worked as a railway labourer and dispatcher in Kostomlaty, near Nymburk, an experience reflected in one of his best-known works, Closely Observed Trains (). He worked variously as an insurance agent (1946–47), a travelling salesman (1947–49) and a manual labourer alongside the graphic artist Vladimír Boudník in the Kladno steelworks (1949–52, and again briefly, 1953), an experience that inspired the "total realism" of texts such as Jarmilka that he was writing at the time. After a serious injury, he worked in a recycling mill in the Prague district of Libeň as a paper packer (1954–59), before working as a stagehand (1959–62) at the S. K. Neumann Theatre in Prague (today Divadlo pod Palmovkou).
thumb|right|250px|Bohumil Hrabal painted among his beloved cats on the "Hrabal Wall" in Prague
Hrabal lived in the city from the late 1940s onward, for much of it (1950–73) at 24 Na Hrázi ul. in Prague - Libeň; the house was demolished in 1988. Another member of the group was the novelist Josef Škvorecký. Hrabal produced stories for the group, but did not seek publication.
Two stories by Hrabal (Hovory lidí) appeared in 1956 as a supplement in the annual Report of the Association of Czech Bibliophiles (), which had a print-run of 250. Hrabal's first book was withdrawn a week before publication, in 1959. It was eventually published in 1963, as Pearls of the Deep (). In the same year, he became a professional writer. Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age () followed in 1964 and Closely Observed Trains () in 1965.
Ban from publication and later career
thumb|right|Bohumil Hrabal in 1985
After the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968, Hrabal was banned from publishing. In 1970, two of his books – Domácí úkoly and Poupata – were banned, after they had been printed and bound but before they were distributed. In the following years, he published several of his best known works in samizdat editions (including The Little Town Where Time Stood Still () and I Served the King of England ().
In 1975, Hrabal gave an interview to the publication Tvorba in which he made self-critical comments, which enabled some of his work to appear in print, albeit typically in heavily edited form. Hrabal's interlocutors were anonymous in the journal, but it was later discovered that the published interview was at least a third version of the text, However, his defenders point out that an edited version of a key text, Handbook for the Apprentice Palaverer (), was published alongside the interview, which ended the ban on publication and permitted his work once again to reach the broader Czechoslovak public. Ludvík Vaculík, who had published his work in samizdat and would later continue to do so, defended him, saying that the interview demonstrated that Hrabal was a writer of such standing that he could not be suppressed and the regime had had to acknowledge him. who angrily dismissed the reports as a way of censoring Hrabal even in death. First Roth He was buried in the cemetery of Hradištko near Kersko. According to his wishes, he was buried in an oak coffin marked with the inscription "" ('Polná Brewery'), the brewery where his mother and stepfather had met.
Style
Hrabal wrote in an expressive, highly visual style. He affected the use of long sentences; his works Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age (1964) and Vita Nuova (1987) consist entirely of one single sentence. Political quandaries and the accompanying moral ambiguities are recurrent themes in his works. Many of Hrabal's characters are portrayed as "wise fools" – simpletons with occasional inadvertently profound thoughts – who are also given to coarse humour, lewdness, and a determination to survive and enjoy life despite harsh circumstances they found themselves in.
Much of the impact of Hrabal's writing derives from his juxtaposition of the beauty and cruelty found in everyday life. Vivid depictions of pain human beings casually inflict on animals (as in the scene where families of mice are caught in a paper compactor) symbolise the pervasiveness of cruelty among human beings. His characterisations also can be comic, giving his prose a baroque or mediaeval tinge. He is known for his "comic, slightly surreal tales about poor workers, eccentrics, failures, and nonconformists"; his early stories are about "social misfits and happily disreputable people".
Alongside fellow satirists Jaroslav Hašek, Karel Čapek and Milan Kundera, Hrabal is often described as one of the greatest Czech writers of the 20th century. Author Ewa Mazierska compared his works to Ladislav Grosman's, in that his literary works typically contained a mixture of comedy and tragedy. His works have been translated into 27 languages.
Quotations
- It's interesting how young poets think of death while old fogies think of girls. — Bohumil Hrabal in Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age
- Bohumil Hrabal embodies as no other the fascinating Prague. He couples people's humor to baroque imagination. — Milan Kundera.
- To spend our days betting on three-legged horses with beautiful names — Bohumil Hrabal
Works
In Czech
The complete works edition of Hrabal spisy was published in the 1990s in 19 volumes by Pražská imaginace.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Title !! Title in English !! Publisher !! Notes !! ISBN
|-
| 1948 || Ztracená ulička || A Lost Alley || Hrádek || ||
|-
| 1963 || Perlička na dně || Pearls of the Deep || Československý spisovatel || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1964 || Pábitelé || Palaverers || Mladá Fronta || ||
|-
| Taneční hodiny pro starší a pokročilé || Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age || rowspan="2" | Československý spisovatel || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1965 || Ostře sledované vlaky || Closely Observed Trains || ||
|-
| Inzerát na dům, ve kterém už nechci bydlet || An Advertisement for the House I Don't Want to Live in Anymore || rowspan="2" | Mladá Fronta || ||
|-
| 1966 || Automat svět || The World Cafeteria/The Death of Mr Baltisberger || ||
|-
| 1967 || Toto město je ve společné péči obyvatel || This Town is Jointly Administered by its Inhabitants || rowspan="2" | Československý spisovatel || ||
|-
| 1968 || Morytáty a legendy || Murder Ballads and Other Legends || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1970 || Domácí úkoly, Úvahy a rozhovory || Homework: Contemplations and Interviews || rowspan="2" | Mladá Fronta || ||
|-
| Poupata || Buds || Confiscated and burnt by the Communist regime ||
|-
| 1973 || Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále || I Served the King of England || rowspan="4" | Petlice || Samizdat; Petlice was a secret, anti-Communist publishing house ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1974 || Něžný barbar || The Gentle Barbarian || Exile edition: 1981 ||
|-
| Postřižiny || Cutting It Short || ||
|-
| Městečko, kde se zastavil čas || The Little Town Where Time Stood Still || Exile Edition: 1978 ||
|-
| 1977 || Příliš hlučná samota || Too Loud a Solitude || Česká expedice || Exile edition: 1980; Česká expedice was a secret, anti-Communist publishing house ||
|-
| 1978 || Slavnosti sněženek || Snowdrop Festival || rowspan="3" | Československý spisovatel || ||
|-
| 1979 || Krasosmutnění || Joyful Blues/Beautiful Sadness || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1981 || Harlekýnovy milióny || Harlequin's Millions || ||
|-
| Kluby poezie || Poetry Clubs || Mladá Fronta || ||
|-
| 1982 || Domácí úkoly z pilnosti || || rowspan="2" | Československý spisovatel || || <!--couldn't find an ISBN-->
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1986 || Život bez smokingu || Life Without a Tuxedo || ||
|-
| Svatby v domě || In-House Weddings || rowspan="2" | Pražská imaginace || Exile edition: 1987; Pražská imaginace was a secret, anti-Communist publishing house ||
|-
| Vita nuova || || Exile edition: 1987 ||
|-
| Proluky || Vacant Lot/Gaps || Petlice || Exile edition: 1986 ||
|-
| Kličky na kapesníku – Kdo jsem || Knots on a Handkerchief – Who I Am: Interviews || Pražská imaginace || ||
|-
| 1989 || Chcete vidět Zlatou Prahu?: výbor z povídek || || Mladá fronta || Jaromír Pelc (ed.) ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1990 || Totální strachy || Total Fears: Letters to Dubenka || || ||
|-
| Listopadový uragán || November Hurricane || Tvorba || ||
|-
| Bambino di Praga; Barvotisky; Krásná Poldi || || Československý spisovatel || ||
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1991 || Ponorné říčky || Underground Rivers || rowspan="2" | Pražská imaginace || ||
|-
| Růžový kavalír || Pink Cavalier || ||
|-
| Atomová mašina značky Perkeo || || Československý spisovatel || ||
|-
| Básnění || || rowspan="4" | Pražská imaginace || ||
|-
| 1992 || Aurora na mělčině || Aurora on the Sandbank || ||
|-
| 1993 || Večerníčky pro Cassia || Cassius's Evening Fairytales || ||
|-
| 1997 || Bibliografie dodatky rejstříky || || ||
|-
| 1998 || Já si vzpomínám jen a jen na slunečné dny || || rowspan="2" | Triton || ||
|-
| 1999 || Buďte tak hodná, vytáhněte rolety: výbor z milostné korespondence || || ||
|-
| 2014 || Skřivánek na niti || || || Hrabal spisy collection #2; short stories (Perlička na dně, Pábitelé, Inzerát na dům, ve kterém už nechci bydlet, Morytáty a legendy) ||
|-
| 2015 || Jsme jako olivy || || || Hrabal spisy collection #3; short stories (Taneční hodiny pro starší a pokročilé, Ostře sledované vlaky, Postřižiny, Městečko, kde se zastavil čas, Něžný barbar, Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále, Příliš hlučná samota) ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2016 || Rukověť pábitelského učně || || || Hrabal spisy collection #4; short stories (Slavnosti sněženek, Krasosmutnění, Harlekýnovy miliony, Autíčko) ||
|-
| Život bez rukávů || || || Hrabal spisy collection #4; autobiographical trilogy ||
|-
| 2017 || Křehký dluh || || || Hrabal spisy collection #1; poetry ||
|}
Selected English-language editions
right|thumb|270px|Complete works in 19 volumes by Pražská imaginace
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Title !! Translator !! Publisher !! Notes !! ISBN
|-
|1968|| A Close Watch on the Trains or Closely Observed Trains or Closely Watched Trains
|Edith Pargeter
|Jonathan Cape|| Foreword by Josef Škvorecký ||
|-
| 1975 || The Death of Mr Baltisberger || Michael Henry Heim || Doubleday || ||
|-
| 1992 || Cutting It Short || rowspan="2" | James Naughton || Time Warner Books UK || ||
|-
|1993
| The Little Town Where Time Stood Still || Pantheon Books || ||
|-
| 1989 || I Served the King of England || Paul Wilson || rowspan="2" | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich || ||
|-
| 1990 || Too Loud a Solitude || Michael Henry Heim || ||
|-
|1995
| Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age
|Michael Henry Heim
|Harcourt Brace|| ||
|-
| 1998 || Total Fears: Letters to Dubenka || James Naughton || Twisted Spoon Press || ||
|-
| 2007 || In-House Weddings (Writings From An Unbound Europe) || Tony Liman || Northwestern University Press || ||
|-
| 2008 || Pirouettes on a Postage Stamp || David Short || Karolinum Press || ||
|-
| 2010 || Vita Nuova: A Novel || rowspan="2" | Tony Liman || rowspan="2" | Northwestern University Press || ||
|-
| 2011 || Gaps: A Novel (Writings From An Unbound Europe) || ||
|-
| 2012 || Harlequin's Millions || Stacey Knecht || Archipelago Books || ||
|-
| 2014 || Rambling On: An Apprentice's Guide to the Gift of the Gab || David Short || Karolinum Press || ||
|-
| 2015 || Mr. Kafka: And Other Tales from the Time of the Cult || rowspan="2" | Paul Wilson || rowspan="2" | New Directions Publishing || ||
|-
| 2019 || All My Cats || ||
|-
| 2020 || Why I Write?: The Early Prose from 1945 to 1952 || David Short || Karolinum Press || ||
|-
| 2021 || The Gentle Barbarian || Paul Wilson || New Directions || ||
|}
Film adaptations
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Title !! Based on !! Language(s) !! Director !! Notes
|-
| 1964 || Fádní odpoledne || Fádní odpoledne || || Ivan Passer ||
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1966 || Smrt pana Baltazara || Automat svět || rowspan="6" | Czech || Jiří Menzel || rowspan="5" | Segments of the anthology film Pearls of the Deep
|-
| Podvodníci || Short story "Swindlers" || Jan Němec
|-
| Dům radosti || Chapter V of Bambini di Praga || Evald Schorm
|-
| Automat Svět || Automat Svět || Věra Chytilová
|-
| Romance || Short story "Gypsy Romance" || Jaromil Jireš
|-
| 1965 || Sběrné surovosti || Baron Prášil || Juraj Herz || Originally filmed as part of the anthology film Pearls of the Deep
|-
| 1966 || Ostře sledované vlaky || Ostře sledované vlaky || Czech, German || rowspan="3" | Jiří Menzel ||
|-
| 1969 || Skřivánci na niti || Inzerát na dům, ve kterém už nechci bydlet || rowspan="2" | Czech ||
|-
| 1980 || Postřižiny || Postřižiny ||
|-
| 1981 || Mořská Miss || Chapter "Such A Beautiful Mourning" from Siren || || Magdaléna Příhodová ||
|-
| 1984 || Slavnosti sněženek || Slavnosti sněženek || Czech || Jiří Menzel ||
|-
| 1989 || Něžný barbar || Něžný barbar || || Petr Koliha ||
|-
| 1994 || Andělské oči || Bambini di Praga || || Dušan Klein ||
|-
| 1995 || Une trop bruyante solitude || Příliš hlučná samota || || Véra Caïs ||
|-
| 2006 || Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále || Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále || Czech || Jiří Menzel ||
|}
References
External links
- Bohumil Hrabal - the Close Watcher of Trains, article on Hrabal by Mats Larsson (1997)
- "Bohumil Hrabal", a literary biography in London Review of Books by James Wood (2001)
- Hrabal and Prague
- Bohumil Hrabal at Czechoslovak book network Baila.net