Vítězslav Hálek

Vítězslav Hálek (also known as Vincenc Hálek; ; 5 April 1835 – 8 October 1874) was a Czech poet, writer, journalist and dramatist. He was known for his optimistic work, which earned him fame and recognition during his lifetime.

Life

Vítězslav Hálek was born on 5 April 1835 in Dolínek, Bohemia, Austrian Empire (today part of Odolena Voda in the Czech Republic). In 1841–1842, he lived in Zálezlice.

After completing his studies at a gymnasium in Prague, Hálek refused to go on to study at seminary and went to study philosophy. However, he did not finish his philosophical studies and instead decided to become a writer. He earned money for his studies as a private tutor in the wealthy family of lawyer Horáček, where he met Dorotea Horáčková (1843–1907). She became his inspiration for writing love poems. After a ten-year relationship, he married her and thus stopped having money problems. They had two sons together. The older one died shortly after birth, and the younger one, Ivan, became a renowned physician.

In 1874, Hálek caught a cold on a walking trip to the Mumlava Waterfall. He died of pneumonia in Prague on 8 October 1874, at the age of 39. He is buried at the Vyšehrad Cemetery.

Work

Hálek is considered one of the most important representatives of the Májovci literary group, along with Jan Neruda.

One of the memorials in located in Dolní Břežany-Lhota, in the immediate vicinity of the Zbraslav district of Prague where Hálek lived. It was created by Josef Václav Myslbek in 1876.

The memorial in Hálek's native village of Dolínek was created by František Vobořil in 1884–1885. It stands near the birth house of Hálek, which contains an exposition on his life and work. There is also a memorial plaque on the house, unveiled in 1878.

Dozens of cities and towns in the Czech Republic have a street named after Vítězslav Hálek, including Prague (New Town), Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Liberec, Olomouc, České Budějovice and Hradec Králové.