A disappearing poet. Otakar Theer's reception history Cover Image

Mizení básníka. Recepční historie Otakara Theera
A disappearing poet. Otakar Theer's reception history

Author(s): Martin Tichý
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Czech Literature
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: modern poetry; reception; literary criticism; individualism; Otakar Theer

Summary/Abstract: The paper focuses on the reception history of Czech modern poet Otakar Theer. It analyses interpretations and appreciations devoted to Theer's personality and/or his poetry from the end of the 1910s to the end of the 20th century. These analyses show that, in the 1910s and 1920s, Theer's works were a vital subject matter of dispute. Different contemporary conceptions are projected into the discourse, and the young postwar generation considers the poet – as a pronounced individualist – a clear antithesis to the desirable literature of the new era. In the 1930s, the poet is only considered the matter of literary history, and the attention paid to him diminishes. It culminates after 1945 when his name disappears from the literary-historical and critical discourse due to the generation reasons as well as the ideological causes. In contrast to other modern poets, Theer is unable to overcome the ideological barrier imposed by the regime.

  • Issue Year: 24/2021
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 48-69
  • Page Count: 21
  • Language: Czech