František Gellner | |
|---|---|
 Gellner around 1900 | |
| Born | (1881-06-19)19 June 1881 |
| Disappeared | September 1914(1914-09-00) (aged 33) Zamość,Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria,Austria-Hungary |
| Occupation(s) | Poet, Writer, Artist |
František Gellner (19 June 1881 – disappeared September 1914) was aCzech poet, short story writer, artist andanarchist.
František Gellner was born to a poorJewish family inMladá Boleslav (Jungbunzlau),Bohemia. His father was a seller and a keensocialist.[1] His student room above his father's shop was the place of his first writing attempts – he covered the walls with his provocative poems and caricatures.[1] He studied at thegymnasium in Mladá Boleslav where he contributed to the student journalsLípa,Lucerna,Pêle-Mêle andMládí with poems, translations and drawings. He went toVienna to study at thePolytechnic Institute, but left after two years with just one exam in drawing.[citation needed]
Gellner'sBohemian lifestyle brought him to the anarchist movement.[1] His flat was searched several times by police.[2] He wrote toNový kult journal. In 1901 he started studying at the Mining Academy inPříbram and often went toPrague to join anarchist parties withS.K. Neumann,Karel Toman,Fráňa Šrámek andMarie Majerová. He started compulsory military service in 1904 but dropped out after a year. He went toMunich to study painting in 1905 and a year later toParis where he drew caricatures for such journals asRire,Cri de Paris, andLe temps nouveau. In 1908 he returned toBohemia (his father was ill) and in 1909 went toDresden and again to Paris. In 1911 he settled inBrno and started to work forLidové noviny as a caricaturist and a reporter.[citation needed]
At the beginning ofWorld War I Gellner was recruited to theAustro-Hungarian army and went toGalicia.[1] The last report about him was that he was relaxing on a path betweenZamość andTomaszów.[2] On 13 September 1914 he was reported missing and never found.[3]
His first poems are full of irony inHeinrich Heine's style. His poemPatnáct lahví koňaku (Fifteen bottles ofcognac) which he wrote at the age of 15 was published inŠvanda dudák journal (edited byIgnát Herrmann).[4] In 1901 he published his first collection calledPo nás ať přijde potopa! (After Us Let the Floods Come!) in which he used especially sexual motifs without any embellishments.[1] The next collectionRadosti života (Joys of Life) shifted the point of view from subject to object and throws the disbelief more on society. The rhythm of the poems is close tovaudeville verses orchansons.[1]Nové verše (New Verses, published posthumously in 1919) are not so pathetic as if seen from a distance with a lot of nonchalance.[1] He also wrote satirical poems inKarel Havlíček Borovský's style which were published mostly in papers and journals.[1] He also illustrated Havlíček'sKřest sv. Vladimíra.[4]
One of his best-known poems was published inPo nás ať přijde potopa (1901):
"Perspektiva"
Má milá rozmilá, neplakej!
Život už není jinakej.
Dnes ještě buďme veselí
na naší bílé posteli!
Zejtra, co zejtra? Kdožpak ví.
Zejtra si lehneme do rakví
"Prospects"
My little darling, don't you cry!
Don't try the life to modify.
Today let's passionately meet
on our creasy creamy sheet.
Morrow, what's morrow? May one say?
Morrow in coffins we shall lay.
Another piece from the bookBásně z pozůstalosti that is typical for Gellner's Bohemian lifestyle begins with this strophe:
"Píseň zhýralého jinocha"
Nezemru já od práce,
nezahynu bídou,
nezalknu se v oprátce,
skončím syfilidou.
"The Song of a Libertine"
I won't die of taxing toil,
Won't die of poverty,
Nor will I melt in boiling oil,
I'll die of syphilis.
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