Early Poetry of Jaroslav Seifert

Jaroslav Seifert was born in Prague, Czech Republic on September 23, 1901. His first book of poetry, City of Tears, was published in 1921. At that time, he became an editor of communist newspapers and magazines while also working at the communist publishing house and bookstore. From 1930, he served in various editorial posts within the social democratic press. During the German occupation, he was editor of the daily Národní Práce and after 1945, of the trade-union daily Práce. During the years 1945-1948, he edited the literary monthly Kytice.

After he was forced to leave journalism in 1949, he turned his focus to literature. He wrote in an unaffected, down-to-earth style about the everyday concerns and emotions of common people. His early works reflected his interest in the Russian Revolution, dadaism, and surrealism. Later, he rejected Soviet communism and wrote poetry that protested the conquest of his homeland. His works include On the Waves of T.S.F., The Nightingale Sings Badly, Put Out the Lights, Robed in Light, and A Helmetful of Earth. In addition to writing about 30 volumes of poetry, he contributed to several journals and wrote children's literature. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1984. He died from a heart ailment on January 10, 1986.

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