Literature for children and youth
Over the past twenty years Czech literature for children and young people has not only been influenced by developments in society and politics since 1989, but also by the changes in the new generations of readers, who are quickly maturing and moving about with ease in the digital world. The differences in their reading competencies are due to the fact that reading is only one segment in the range of multimedia structures of children’s culture, and other media are often used for relaxation and education. Contemporary literature for children and young people is characterised by the relaxing of traditionally perceived boundaries which divided it outwardly as a subsystem, but also of those boundaries which inwardly divided it according to genre, ethos and reader categorisation. There are also works which, although they may be formally categorised by editorial practice, consciously allow for the presence of two potential readerships and appeal at the same time to children and adults (see Michal Viewegh: Krátké pohádky pro unavené rodiče, 2007).
The 1990s was a period of fluctuation for Czech literature for children and young people, influenced by the de-monopolisation and fragmentation of publishing activities, as well as by the challenges posed by the global production of books, both for the most highbrow of works and the most trivial and utilitarian. Homegrown works often remained in the shadow of editions which returned to previously silenced authors, whilst glossy translated literature took first place quantitively in the book market. At the start of the 21st century it is possible to say that Czech literature for children and young people has managed to successfully avoid the crisis scenarios which the literary critics in the 1990s had predicted.
The welcome regeneration of the literary scene, which for decades had been dominated by the publishers Albatros, was represented by the growth of new publishers at home (for example, Meander, Brio, Práh, Baobab, the Raketa editions for Labyrint publishers, B4U Publishing), which not only focused attention on the texts and illustrations but also on the typography and book covers. Their products have shifted children’s books more towards the form of aesthetic objects with active and playful functions.
One of the most dynamic and blossoming areas in contemporary Czech literature for children is without doubt the illustrated book. An important impetus for its growth was the inspirational influence of foreign products which quite often featured contributions by Czech artists: Květa Pacovská (1928), Jindra Čapek (1953), Štěpán Zavřel (1932–1999), Josef Paleček (1932), Libuše Palečková (1937) and Petr Sís (1949).
The contemporary illustrated book is characterised by a clear tendency towards playfulness with an inventive use of non-traditional artistic techniques and materials. Eva Volfová (1979) used embroidery instead of drawings in her story about the search for a safe home, Kočička z kávové pěny (2006), and Vendula Chalánková (1981) uses direct tactile sensations in her pop-up book Červená karkulka (2009). Lukáš Urbánek (1973), whose art installation with the distinctive Doctor Racek character (Doktor Racek jede na prázdniny, 2008; Doktor Racek na horách, 2009) complemented text by Milada Rezková (1979), combines illustrations with photographs. Markéta Šimková (1977) and Petr Šmalec (1974) gave an innovative treatment to the well-known fairy story about the hen and the rooster (based on the conflict between selfishness and self-sacrifice) in the book Zik a Cháta (2008), creating its protagonists by recycling old spare parts and sports equipment. In her story Adam a koleno (2007) Dagmar Urbánková (1972) creates a miniature world from natural materials, scraps and knick-knacks, which are hidden behind a curtain made from a boy’s torn trouser leg; Chlebová Lhota (2010) was stylised as a village chronicle and the characters, scenery and furniture were baked or modelled from bread and then pictured as photographs or in comic-strip sequences. Art installation combined with photography characterises the work of František Skála (1956), whose “photographic comic” Skutečný příběh Cílka a Lídy (2007) is set in a real natural environment where Skála staged his own puppets made exclusively from natural materials. Jiří Stach (1944) and Lenka Uhlířová (1973) mix illustrations with photography in the parable Velká cesta Malého pána (2008). The question arises, however, as to whether these works will remain in the category of interesting experiments which are more appreciated by adult readers. An effective poeticisation of a child’s world, inspired by the poetics of the pioneer of Czech animated film Jiří Trnka, can be found in the books of Pavel Čech (1968) O zahradě (2005) and Tajemství ostrova za prkennou ohradou (2009). The archetypal themes of childhood sadness and fear of loss or separation are to be found in the illustrated books Už se nebojím tmy (2007) and Prázdniny v nebi (2008) by Vojtěch Jurík, writing under the pseudonym Vhrsti.
Pavel Čech. The illustrated book Zahrada (2005) was published in the same year in an English version called The Garden by the Czech publishers Brio; it was also brought out in a French translation that year as Le jardin merveilleux by the Parsian publisher Gründ. www.pavelcech.wz.cz
Vhrsti. In 2003 he was represented in the world anthology of anti-war comics Warburger and received an honourable mention at the comics festival in Belgrade. He was also awarded the Certificate of Excellence from the National Press Club of Canada (2006). The book Už se nebojím tmy was published in Upper Lusatian and Lower Lusatian (2009) by the publisher Domowina. Translations into English and Greek will be forthcoming. www.vhrsti.cz
An original theme is represented by illustrated literature which looks at Czech history and significant figures from political and cultural life. In her works Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (2006) and Jan Amos Komenský (2007), Renáta Fučíková (1964) created monographic illustrated books in which the emotional impact of the aesthetic effect works in tandem with the intellectual function. Martina Skalá’s cycle (1958) Strado & Varius (2003–2010) is dedicated to the world of music and concerns restless little violins which are hatched from an egg found by the old violinist Varius. Lucie Seifertová’s (1969) huge, original pop-up book Dějiny udatného českého národa a pár bezvýznamných světových událostí (2003) illustrates Czech history up to the present day with humour, exaggerated caricatures and appropriate brevity. The three-dimensional concept of the book and division of pages into part factual and part story allows children to choose their own form of reading.
Martina Skala. After the success of the illustrated book Strado & Varius (2003), which was translated into English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Korean and Chinese, the sequels are also expected to be translated. info@MartinaSkala.com
Lucie Seifertová. Several of her extensive pop-up books have been translated by the Czecho-Slovak publishers Slovart and the Czech publisher Petr Prchal: for example, Pražský hrad a jeho tajemství (Mysterious castles and chateaux of Bohemia, 2003) and Tajemná Praha (Mysterious Prague, 2005) in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Japanese versions; Dějiny udatného českého národa a pár bezvýznamných světových událostí in English (The history of the brave Czech nation and a few insignificant world events, 2005), Tajemný Golem (The mysterious Golem, 2003) in English and German. www.seifertova.cz
Contemporary poetry for children is characterised by playfulness and a close connection to music and art. On the boundaries between poetry collections and song books are the books by Zdeňek Svěrák (1936), Jan Vodňanský (1941) and Jiří Weinberger (1946). In the books by Petr Nikl (1960) his nonsense verse populated by fantastical creatures is given an added dimension by the typesetting and illustrations (Záhádky, 2007; Jělěňovití, 2008; Blázníček, 2009; Přeshádky, 2010). Hiršalův skicák (2009), which was compiled by the editor Radim Kopáč from the poetry of Josef Hiršal (1920–2003), was conceived by Nikl, in his role of illustrator, as a real sketch book, which in harmony with the energizing force of Hiršal’s poetry offers children room for their own artistic or literary expression.
Petr Nikl. The Czech publishers Meander brought out Pohádku o Rybitince and O Rybabě a Mořské duši in the English versions (A fairy tale about a wee fish named Rybitinka, 2001; Rybaba and the Sea Soul, 2002). Excerpts from the book Lingvistické pohádky (2009) can be found in English and German under Nikl’s profile on the Czech literature portal. www.petrnikl.cz
The nonsense verse with which Jiří Žáček (1945), Pavel Šrut (1940), Miloš Kratochvíl (1948) and Jiří Dědeček (1953) continue an earlier tradition remains a predominant feature of Czech poetry for children. Šrut’s collections have made a particularly great contribution (e.g. Příšerky a příšeři, 2005; Šišatý švec a myšut, 2007). Like English nursery rhymes they are closely linked to the world of children’s games, unbridled imagination and linguistic jokes, on top of which a grotesque overtone is added to create a playground for the author’s existential themes. Humour with sensitive didactics typifies the verse of the younger generation of poets, for example the collection Houbeles pictus (2008) by Petr Maděra (1970) or Kam až smí smích (2009) by Radek Malý (1977). In the later collection Listonoš vítr (2011), which was dominated by a nostalgic autumnal mood, Malý showed the viability of lyrical forms within children’s poetry. An important editorial event, charting the peaks and transformations in children’s poetry, was the anthology Nebe, peklo, ráj. Tyglík české poezie pro děti 20. století (2009), which was compiled by Petr Šrámek.
Jiří Žáček. The poetry collection Kočkování (2005) has been published in French (Chat mailleries, France Loisirs, 2005), German (Spielende Katzen, RM-Buch-und-Medien-Vertrieb, 2006) and Spanish (Engatusados: el libro para los grandes y pequeños amigos de los gatos, Círculo de lectores, 2006). www.jirizacek.cz
There are more and more authentic elements appearing within children’s prose, just as within writing for adults. These reveal themselves in playful and mystifying forms (a play on authenticity, the author’s inclination towards revealing themes from real family life), which are not necessarily recognised by the younger reader. Kozí knížka (2005) by Tereza Říčanová (1974) received attention due to the unpretentious clarity with which the author presents a child’s life in the countryside, closely tied to the cycles of nature.
At the start of the 1990s a wave was sweeping through literature for children and young people which opened up taboo subjects. Works immediately began to appear which reflected current problems in society which up until then had been avoided or approached in a non-confrontational manner. The main character becomes an outsider both in realistic stories of children’s lives as well as in prose which contains elements of fantasy. In her prose works for children and young people Iva Procházková (1953) has shown since the 1990s that she is capable of sensitively communicating difficult themes to adolescent readers as well as to the youngest. The novel Nazi (2009) is a convincing account from a multi-narrator perspective on the vulnerability of adolescents in today’s world. In her novella for children Myši patří do nebe… ale jenom na skok (2006) the author relects on death as the inevitable boundary of any type of existence and even chooses it as the basis of a story.
Iva Procházková. During her time in exile (from 1983 in Austria and from 1986–1995 in Germany) she brought out books in German. The novels Die Sommer hat Eselsohren (Summer Wears Donkey Ears, 1985) and Die Nackten (The Naked, 2009) were nominated for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (a German literary prize for books for children and young people). In 1989 the novel Die Zeit der geheimen Wünsche (The Season of Secret Wishes, 1988) was awarded the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in the children’s book category. Other novels have been translated into French, Spanish, English, Swedish and Hungarian. www.ivaprochazkova.com
Alongside the more difficult to digest trends in contemporary children’s prose there is a strongly developing tendency towards undisguised utility, in which literature provides readers with clear instructions on how to resolve problematic situations in everyday life or attain an identified goal, and it does this by involving the child reader. Elements of instructional literature appear in the work of a range of contemporary authors, among whom the most prominent are Petra Braunová (1967), Hana Doskočilová (1936), Martina Drijverová (1951), Daniela Krolupperová (1969) and Ivona Březinová (1964). Březinová’s cycle of prose for girls Holky na vodítku (2002–2003) and also the story for younger readers Lentilka pro dědu Edu (2006) expose relevant social themes such as drug addiction, gambling, eating disorders, old age and illness.
Literature of the fairy-tale type reverberates with the influence of Václav Čtvrtek (1911–1976), among whose successors can be ranked, for example, František Nepil (1929–1995), Jaromír Kincl (1930) and Emil Šaloun (1947). The modern fairy tale retains the the constant features of the genre with an emphasis on the live act of story-telling. The role of the narrators and main protagonists are taken by the characters of the dads, whose natural authority does not exclude an ironic assessment of the father’s position and derives mainly from loving family relationships, for example in Zdeňek Svěrák’s stories Tatínku, ta se ti povedla (1991) or Arnošt Goldflam’s (1946) Tatínek není k zahození (2004) and Tatínek 002 (2006). Through shifts to a playful form of parody or travesty, which Magdalena Wagnerová (1960) employs in an innovative way in the books Pavouk na šalvěji (2003), Strom s granátovými jablky (2004), Záhada č. 28 (2007) and Krys Veliký (2010), the potential of fairy tales and legends to address the adult reader is increased. In a similar way Šrut’s novel Lichožrouti (2008) and its sequel Lichožrouti se vracejí (2010) or the short prose work Pan Kdybych hledá kamaráda (2009) offer a realistic account of the search for friendship and real values presented in the seemingly playful garb of a fairy tale.
Magdalena Wagnerová. The children’s story books Une histoire pour chaque soir: 366 histoires du petit bonhomme vert (Jablečňák) and Une histoire pour chaque soir: Grenouille & cie (Žabina & spol.) were published in 2003 and 2005 by the Parisian publisher Gründ. dybbuk@dybbuk.cz
The other pole of author’s stories is represented by texts more closely linked to the legacy of folklore and individualised by the distinctive poetic of the authors, as, for example, in the collections Královské pohádky (1994) and O dobré a o zlé moci (2000) by Karel Šiktanc (1928) or in the prose work O ztracené lásce (1995) by Eva Hudečková (1949).
Adaptations and anthologies of folklore material are an enduring part of the fairy-tale context. The legacy of Czech and world fairy tales is accessed by writers such as Vladimír Hulpach (1935), Martina Drijverová and Milada Motlová (1945); its timeless appeal is also demonstrated by the reissuing of the imaginative collection by Jan Vladislav (1923–2009) and Vladislav Stanovský (1922–2005), První and Druhý strom pohádek z celého světa (2008, 2009).
In the Czech Republic high-quality works of literature for children and young people are promoted through literary fairs, awards, competitions, campaigns and specialised websites, which are supported by the Czech Ministry of Culture, Svaz českých knihkupců a nakladatelů [Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers] and other non-governmental organisations and sponsors. The Children’s Book Fair takes place every year at the exhibition ground in Liberec. The annual Zlatá stuha [Golden Ribbon] prize for the best books for children and young people is awarded by the Czech section of the IBBY, Obec spisovatelů [Association of Writers], Obec překladatelů [Czech Literary Translators’ Guild] and Klub ilustrátorů dětské knih [Club of Children’s Book Illustrators], and the SUK public opinion poll on the most popular books for children and young people is announced by the Comenius National Pedagogical Library. The most popular Czech book prize, Magnesia Litera, is also awarded in a category for children and young people. Various campaigns to promote reading among children have been implemented and websites geared towards children are in operation, e.g. Growing with the Book (www.rostemesknihou.cz), the Reader’s Friendly Advisor “Čtesyrád” (www.ctesyrad.cz), The Book – A Life-Long Addiction (www.sckn.cz) or the charity project Reading Helps (www.ctenipomaha.cz). With the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Svět knihy company, Czech literature for children and young people is also represented abroad, in particular at the international children’s book fair in Bologna, Italy. Czech books for children and young people also appear in the prestigious White Raven catalogue, which is published every year by the Internationale Jugendbibliothek in Munich.
Milena Šubrtová
