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Josef Kainar (29 June 1917 inPřerov,Austria-Hungary – 16 November 1971 inDobříš,Czechoslovakia) was aCzech poet, lyrics writer, dramatic author and translator, but also a musician, illustrator, artist and journalist. He was a member of artistic groupSkupina 42 and literary groupOhnice.
Josef studied Czech and French languages atCharles University in Prague between 1938 and 1939. After the closure of colleges duringWorld War II he undertook several jobs. He worked as ascript editor inDivadlo satiry. He also worked as a journalist; his jokes, images and poetry were published in the newspaperRovnost. After the war he worked in radio, movies and the theater. For example, he created a so-called ″rozhlásky″ for theCzechoslovak Radio; this was news for younger listeners. After 1947 he devoted himself fully to literature.
He was also musically talented; he played in concerts on piano, guitar and violin. His style was based above all injazz and he even mentions it in his poems.
His resting place isVyšehrad cemetery.
In 2007 ahigh school was named in his memory in the town ofHlučín, where he studied.[1]
Initially his work was influenced mainly byexistentialism. Irony, even bordering on mockery, is typical to his work. His work being highly lyrical was able to connect with music; it was colloquial, sometimes even vulgar in its opposing conservatism. He aimed at keeping his verse truthful, to depict the harshness of the world and he also went even forscepticism. His poems contain short stories, which impel the reader to reflection.
Beside his literary work he wrote movie scenarios and did photography.
In the early 40s he wrote lyrics mainly to Americanswing classics (George Gershwin, R. Rodgers,D. Ellington, H. Carmichael et al.). During theoccupation theNazis condemned it as "Jewish-Bolshevik filth", which was nevertheless played among the youth, particularly ontramping meetings. Kainar put some of his texts to music himself—e.g. the songsČerná kára,Starý mrtvý vrabec,Blues železničního mostu. He also wrote the lyrics to the jazz rock masterpieceKuře v hodinkách, published by the rock bandFlamengo in 1972.
He translated poetry, especially from French and German.
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