Jiří Grossmann

Jiří Grossmann (20 July 1941 – 5 December 1971) was a Czech theatre actor, poet and composer.

Life

Grossmann was born in Prague. After his graduation, he started at the Czech Technical University in Prague, but left in 1962 when he met Miloslav Šimek in the Olympik bar. Grossmann performed with Dixie Party Band in the Olympik Theatre Club, playing on contrabass also. They immediately established a theatre double and started writing poems, short stories and stage plays. Their first theatre group was called Mlok. Grossmann and Šimek's most famous project was Navštěvní den, a theatre-styled show performed in theatre Semafor.

The duo was persecuted after the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968 following the Prague Spring.

When Grossmann realized he was dying of Hodgkin lymphoma, he wrote one of his most sad lyrics called Závidím (I am envious) and Prague's Jiří Grossmann's Archway commemorate him today.

Books Jiří Grossmann and Miroslav Šimek wrote together many short stories, which they read out as part of their performances. Their collections were also published as books, some only after Grossmann's death. The collections include: Besídka zvláštní školy (1969) Besídka bývalých žáků zvláštní školy (1990) Povídky aneb nechci slevu zadarmo (1993) Povídky (2008)

Filmography Year Name English Title Movie/TV 1968 Zločin v šantánu Crime in a Music Hall Movie 1969 Návštěvní den Miloslava Šimka a Jiřího Grossmanna Visiting Day of Miloslav Simek and Jiri Grossmann TV 1969 Návštěvní den č. 2 Visiting Day No.2 TV 1969 Návštěvní den č. 3 Visiting Day No.3 TV 1969 Návštěvní den č. 4 Visiting Day No.4 not played 1970 Návštěvní den č. 5 Visiting Day No.5 TV 1970 Návštěvní den č. 6 Visiting Day No.6 TV

Discography Year Name English Title Comment 1991 Své banjo odhazuji v dál I Am Throwing My Banjo Away published in memoriam 2002 Jako kotě si příst Purr Like A Kitten published in memoriam

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