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Pavel Juráček: Diary From the Life of a Buffoon

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  • Where: Václav Havel Library, Ostrovní 13, Prague 110 00
  • When: May 18, 2017, 19:00 – 21:00

Ceremonial presentation of the two books by Pavel Juráček: the first volume of the complete edition of his diary entries, Deník I. (1951–1956) (Diaries I (1951–1956), and a collection of his journalism, Ze života tajtrlíků (články, úvahy, rozhovory z let 1954 – 1978) (From the Life of a Buffoon (Articles, Reflections, Interviews, 1954 – 1978). The evening will be hosted by the editors Marie Kratochvílová and Pavel Hájek, while actor Lukáš Jůza (Kašpar theatre company) will read excerpts.

Presentation of the first volume of the monumental diary output of the eminent Czech film director. Rather than an ordinary diary it is a genuine work of literature and a unique chronicle of its time. Pavel Juráček wanted to be, and was, a writer first and foremost. He penned short stories, film stories, screenplays and this diary, capturing life in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s, his subsequent exile in East Germany and return to Czechoslovakia. Juráček had a talent for drama and narrative and was a master of description, characterisation and dialogue. He handwrote his diary into 33 bound A5 notebooks. The edition gathers together all of Juráček’s diary entries – in four substantial volumes. The first contains texts written between 1948 and 1956. Editor Marie Kratochvílová will discuss preparing the volume using the author’s manuscripts.

Ze života tajtrlíků (From the Life of a Buffoon) is a joint publication of the Václav Havel Library and the National Film Archive that maps for the first time a lesser known side of Pavel Juráček, presenting him as a journalist. As an author who wasn’t just focused on his own world (as a reader of Diaries might assume) but was also interested in the state of society and its cultural and philosophical level. The impressive collection of uncovered texts follows his journey from articles published in country, municipal and student newspapers (1950s) to essays and commentaries published in renowned arts magazines (1960s) to opinions and views contained in interviews granted in various connections in the 1960s and 1970s. Many texts are being published for the first time, while a large part of the previously published work appears here in a form taken from the author’s recently discovered handwritten and typed manuscripts.

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