Kubátová followed in the footsteps of her mother. After graduating in pharmaceutical studies (PhMr., RNDr.) she worked as a pharmacist in several chemist’s shops while at the same time writing novels as well as specialist and popularizing texts. She lives with her family in Vrchlabí.
For more than half a century Marie Kubátová’s literary creations have been inspired by her family and professional experiences, and they are inseparably linked to the picturesque foothills of the Giant Mountains and its particular dialect. Her very first publications – the collection of short stories from that region entitled Matějkov (1956) and the “stories in dialect” Daremný poudačky (1956) – indicate the character of the author’s literary works.
Together with A. Kutinová, she published a collection of folklore texts called Krakonošův rok (1958) and Krakonošovský špalíček (1964). Local folk stories and fairy tales have been freely adapted by Kubátová and they have influenced the author’s own work. She spent more time on fairy tales with Czech Radio, starting in the 1950s, producing several radio plays and fairy stories. The author’s fairy-tale collections are characterised by a thematic compactness or at least a unifying framework (e.g. Pohádky o Krakonošovi, 1971; Pohádky vodnického dědečka, 1990; Pohádky poštovských panáčků, 2002; Veselé pohádky z muzikantské zahrádky, 2006; Pohádky lékárnického skřítka, 2007). Subjects and motifs which are well known from popular fairy tales are updated and given a personal form by Kubátová, where an important role is played by the spontaneity of the narration, often emphasised by the framework of the story.
At the same time her literary creations for adults are firmly set within the small-town and village life of the foothills of the Giant Mountains. Kubátová is a keen observer who is able to extract general humanist messages from her intimate knowledge of the area and people’s lives. She notices the important divisions in life: in the Pharmaceutical Trilogy (Lékárna U tří koček, 1977; Třikrát denně kapku rosy, 1979; Recept na štěstí, 1981), she confronts the ideals of a young married couple and the growing crisis within their relationship; in the loose sequel Lesk a bída podnikání (1996) she portrays the protagonists in old age at a time of great changes in society; in the book Jak překročit Rubikon (1986) she describes the change from the productive phase of life to retirement and the necessity of coming to terms with ageing.
In the past decade she has mainly written short stories and feuilletons where she returns to both her family and historical roots. In her stories we can hear the echo of memories and folk wisdom from mountain chalets in the fate of objects as mute witnesses to the stories of the passing generations whose memories Kubátová humbly preserves (e.g. Arcibáby, aneb, Živote, já nechci, abys byl vošklivej!, 2005; Haraburdí, aneb, Jak se líhnou knížky, 2007).
(mš)
This author profile was last updated in 2010.
