Jiří Gruša

Jiří Gruša (10 November 1938, in Pardubice – 28 October 2011, in Bad Oeynhausen ) was a Czech poet, novelist, translator, diplomat and politician.

Life and career Gruša was born in Pardubice, then Czechoslovakia (present-day Czech Republic), and later moved to Prague. After world-wide protest, he was released after two months.

In 1990 conditions in Czechoslovakia became more favorable and he returned to work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1991 to 1997, he served as an ambassador to Germany. Later, he joined the minority government of Václav Klaus as a Minister of Education. The government lost support of the opposition parties and President Václav Havel orchestrated establishment of a new caretaker government. Even though Gruša was a non-party minister, he was replaced by Jan Sokol. He served as an ambassador to Austria until 2004.

Gruša participated in standardisation of the term "Tschechien" as the official name of the Czech Republic in German language. See Name of the Czech Republic for overview.

Gruša died at the age of 72 on 28 October 2011 during a heart operation in Germany. Václav Havel wrote (before his own death a month and a half later on 18 December) that Gruša was "one of a few close people whom I deeply respected and who have left this world recently."

Awards and honors 2007: Chevalier of the Legion of Honor of France 2006: New Culture of New Europe Award 2002: Jaroslav Seifert Prize

Works English translated Franz Kafka of Prague, Trans. Eric Mossbacker. The Questionnaire, Trans. Peter Kussi.

Czech language Umění stárnout [The Art of Aging] Gebrauchsanweisung für Tschechien und Prag [Instruction Manual for the Czech Republic and Prague] Grušas Wacht am Rhein aneb Putovní ghetto [The Watch on the Rhein]

Original in German Beneš als Österreicher Wieser Verlag, Klagenfurt 2012