Josef Hiršal
Josef Hiršal (24 July 1920, Chomutičky – 15 September 2003, Prague) was a Czech author, poet and novelist. Hiršal was widely regarded as one of the most important Czech authors of experimental poetry; after early surrealistic writings, he made his literary debut with a collection of poems. Later on, he joined the group of artists around Jiří Kolář, a friend of whom he remained for his entire life and with whom he published children's books in the 1950s after having been forbidden any kind of work during the Soviet occupation.
Also recorded as Josef Hirsal
Josef Hiršal
Jnh · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Born
- 1920. · Chomutičky.
- Died
- 2003. · Prague.
- Nationality
- Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia.
- Occupation
- linguist, writer, translator, poet and artist.
- Honours
- Czech Medal of Merit, Tom Stoppard Prize, Jaroslav Seifert Prize and Prix Laure Bataillon.
- Languages
- French, German and Czech.
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Josef Hiršal (24 July 1920, Chomutičky – 15 September 2003, Prague) was a Czech author, poet and novelist. Hiršal was widely regarded as one of the most important Czech authors of experimental poetry; after early surrealistic writings, he made his literary debut with a collection of poems. Later on, he joined the group of artists around Jiří Kolář, a friend of whom he remained for his entire life and with whom he published children's books in the 1950s after having been forbidden any kind of work during the Soviet occupation.
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wikidata · Q3561915 · wikipedia · Josef Hiršal
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Identity
Identity
He later on signed the Charter 77. In the 1960s, Hiršal he started writing experimental poetry with partner, poet Bohumila Grögerová. The couple also co-authored several books and translated more than 180 works. Hiršal built a reputation as a translator of foreign works into the Czech language, translating the works of, among others, Christian Morgenstern, Ernst Jandl, Eugène Ionesco, Wolfgang Hildesheimer, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Franz Kafka, Edgar Allan Poe, Heinrich Heine, H. Artmann, Helmut Heissenbüttel, Fernando Pessoa and Torquato Tasso; in 1989, he received the Grand Austrian State Prize for his translations. Bohumila Grögerová, who survived him, died on 22 August 2014, at the age of 93.
The recorded working language is French, German and Czech. Work by Josef Hiršal is recorded in the collections of Tate and ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe. Distinctions recorded are Czech Medal of Merit, Tom Stoppard Prize, Jaroslav Seifert Prize and Prix Laure Bataillon.
Josef Hiršal is recorded as having received Czech Medal of Merit, Tom Stoppard Prize and Jaroslav Seifert Prize.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1920
Josef Hiršal born at Chomutičky.
2003
Josef Hiršal died at Prague.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Chomutičky.
Birth place
Prague.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3561915: Josef Hiršal
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Josef Hiršal”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
scholarly publication
References
Citations
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scholarly publication
Institutional witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q3561915: Josef HiršalWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
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Further particulars
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He also worked under the name Bohumila Geussová. The authorities additionally record the heading Josef Hirsal. His recorded languages were French, German and Czech. Hiršal received Czech Medal of Merit, Tom Stoppard Prize, Jaroslav Seifert Prize and Prix Laure Bataillon.
Identity and origins
Recognition and collections
Work by Josef Hiršal is
Tate and ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,988 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Josef BergAuthor
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- Josef Emanuel HilscherAuthor
- Josef FlorianAuthor
- Josef HlouchAuthor
- Josef HolečekAuthor
- Josef HoraAuthor
- Josef HrdličkaAuthor
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