František Hrubín – básník v knihovně
A Poet in the Library, František Hrubín

Summary/Abstract: This article is based mainly on source material from the papers of František Hrubín (1910–1971), Jan Thon (1886–1973), and other figures associated with literature, which are deposited in the holdings of the Museum of Czech Literature. It seeks to chart out Hrubín’s work in the Prague Public Library, his typical working day, and his relations with colleagues there, not only in the 1930s and first half of the 1940s, but also when he was a professional writer. The essay seeks to demonstrate, on the one hand, how his colleagues took his work seriously and, on the other, how they appreciated him as a cheerful and friendly person. It describes the social atmosphere of the second decade of the First Republic, the difficulties of life under German occupation in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and, briefly, the dramatic situations before and after the Communist Party took power in February 1948. The articles seeks to answer the question of what aspects of working in the library contributed to the poet’s creativity, and it seeks to explain his reasons for giving up the vocation of librarian. It also briefly considers the importance of the Prague Public Library in the poet’s personal life. His marriage, in 1939, to Jarmila Holá, a librarian-colleague, was strong, and lasted until Hrubín’s death in 1971.

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