Czech Literature

The drama has only begun to flourish in Bohemian literature the past 40 years, and especially since the erection of a National Czech theatre in Prague. Among the first dramatists was Joseph K. Tyl (1808-56), who wrote numerous plays. In one of them occurs the song je domov infij) ((Where is my now the national air of Bohemia. Wenceslas Kliepera (1792-1859) wrote more than 50 comedies and tragedies and greatly aided the development of a Czech stage, though none of his plays are above the mediocre. Count Zdenko Kolovrat (1836-92) wrote several clever comedies. Of writers on scientific topics, Jan Presl, professor of natural history in Prague, wrote much on this theme. Charles Jaromir Erben (b. 1810; d. 1870) as archivarian of Prague devoted his life to editing the works of earlier writers. He edited and published a new edition of the selected works of Jan Hfis; also of Stites books on (History of Prague), a colossal work, full of erudition and of glimpses of Bohemian history in general. Joseph Kalousek

(b. 1838; d. 1907) in his

(ib. 1887) ; afafik, P. J., 'Gesch, d. slay. Spr. u. (Vienna 1869); Tieftrfink, K., Liter.

Ceske' (Prague 1880) ; Vleek, J., 'Dejiny Lit. Geske' (ib. 1890).