Václav Kliment Klicpera

Václav Kliment Klicpera (23 November 1792 – 15 September 1859) was a Czech playwright and poet. He was a prolific author of his own plays and was one of the first presenters of Czech-language drama. He was especially influential in the foundation of comedic Czech theatre.

Life

Václav Klement Klicpera was born on 23 November 1792 in Chlumec nad Cidlinou. Later he started writing Kliment as his middle name. He first began to learn to be a tailor, like his father, and then a butcher, but due to health reasons he ended his apprenticeship in 1808 and began studying at a gymnasium in Prague. From 1813, he was part of an amateur troupe, where he met Anna Švamberková, which he married in 1819. After graduating from the gymnasium in 1813, he studied philosophy until 1816 and medicine until 1818. He then studied humanities and among his teachers were Josef Jungmann and Josef Dobrovský. From 1819, he was a teacher at the gymnasium in Hradec Králové. His students included František Škroup, Josef Kajetán Tyl and Karel Jaromír Erben.

He and his older brother František became involved in the patriotic movement. Václav Kliment Klicpera made his debut as a playwright in March 1816 with the successful play Blaník, played in the Estates Theatre. He collaborated with amateur troupes as an organiser, author, director, and until 1823 as an actor. At his own expense, he published Czech-language plays (Klicpera's theatre – Almanac of dramatic plays) that contributed to the development of Czech amateur theatre.

After the death of his first wife, he married a second time in 1838 to Anna Trnková (1814–1900). In 1842, he became temporarily deaf as a result of an illness. In 1846, he left Hradec Králové, moved to Prague and started to teach at the Academic Gymnasium in Prague. Among his students were Vítězslav Hálek, Jan Neruda and Josef Václav Frič. In 1850, he became director of the Academic Gymnasium, which became the first Czech-language gymnasium during his management. In Prague, Klicpera also worked as a politician and actively participated in the revolutionary events of 1848. Due to his participation in them and for allowing an unauthorised student magazine to be published at his school, he was forced to retire early in 1853. He did not create any other work after that.

Klicpera died on 15 September 1859 in Prague. He is buried at the city's Olšany Cemetery.

The Klicpera Theatre Company operates in Klicpera's hometown of Chlumec nad Cidlinou.

The theatre in Hradec Králové bears Klicpera's name. It was founded in 1885 and has a professional ensemble since 1949. The Gallery U Klicperů is located in the theatre's foyer.

Dozens of cities and towns in the Czech Republic have a street named after Václav Kliment Klicpera, including Prague (Smíchov), Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Liberec, Olomouc and Hradec Králové.