250th anniversary of birth F. L.
Vek (Hek)
The Radioclub OK1KQI in cooperation with city
Dobruška on the
occasion of 250th
birth significant Czech writer František Vladislav Hek issues three
awards to the 250th aniversary of birth this important figure Czech
history.
Biography
Hek was t
he
son of a shopkeeper (of Dutch origin) from Dobruška. He received his primary
education in Dobruška and in Prague (from 1779) and from 1782 he studied at a
Piarists gymnasium in Prague. In Prague, Hek met the Czech patriots concentrated
around Václav Matěj Kramerius' publishing house Česká expedice and around the
Czech theatre groups. In the second half of the 1780s, he returned to Dobruška
to take over his father's shop. Hek also served as a local agent for Kramerius,
loaned books from his large personal library (3,284 volumes in 1806) and tried
to organize a local Czech theatre, which was forbidden by authorities. A fire in
1806 completely destroyed his shop and he lost money during the state bankruptcy
of the Austrian Empire in 1811. From 1806, he cooperated with Josef Liboslav
Ziegler (1782–1846), a patriotic priest. In 1821, his wife died and he retired.
Hek then lived, among other places, in the Saxonian town of Herrnhut (Czech:
Ochranov), a center of Czech Evangelical exile, and for the last years of his
life in Kyšperk (today Letohrad) with his daughter.
The
historical novel F.L. Věk by Alois Jirásek is based on Hek's life, as described
in his autobiography. A television series, F.L. Věk, was shot in 1971. The City
Museum of Dobruška owns
Hek's
birth house, and has hosted an exhibition about Hek in the building since 1972.
Dobruška's main square was named after F.L. Věk.
Works
The
majority of the Hek's works were published after 1806; the 1820s were his most
active period. The most important were his satirical epigrams. In 1820, he
published book of epigrams Velký pátek (English: Great Friday), a scathing
critique of provincialism in Dobruška. An example of his epigrams is: "The
greater the fool, the more titles he needs" (Czech: Čím větší vůl, tím více
titulů). Predictably, the work was banned and confiscated, and only two original
copies are known today. Hek was sentenced to three weeks in prison, though he
was pardoned due to bad health, and was harassed by authorities in Dobruška ever
thereafter. While living in Ochranov (Herrnhut), he translated old texts of
Czech exiles into German. His best known music works were composed during the
1830–40s. Hek also wrote his own autobiography in German.
Museum F.L.Věk in city Dobruška
City Dobruška :
Dobruška
is a small willage about 140km east from capital city Prague, near to Hradec
Kralove, situated in Orlicke hory mountains with about 7100 inhabitants. Formerly
known as a Market Community Lešno, the first written mention of the place comes
from a 1320 document. The town obtained the right of beer-brewing prior to this
1320 document. In the 14th century it became known as Dobruška, a seat of Church
administration. In 1495, with arrival of Noble Family of Trčka of Lípa, the town
started to develop. The centre of the town gained its present appearance in Neo-Gothic
style after a large fire broke out on October 7, 1866, which was painted by
Alois Beer (1833-1897). The town of Dobruška is known mainly because of the
Czech patriotic writer František Ladislav Hek, whose career was described in
Alois Jirásek's novel entitled F. L. Věk (there is organized
The International Music Festival of F. L. Vek), and also thanks to the
beautiful Renaissance castle in nearby
Opočno.
Official
web page
www.mestodobruska.cz
Source :