OLBRACHT, IVAN

OLBRACHT, IVAN (pseudonym of Kamil Zeman ; 1882–1952), Czech author and publicist. Olbracht was born in Semily, Bohemia. His mother was Jewish; his father, a non-Jewish writer. Olbracht's early works, O zlých samotá?ích ("Of Evil Lonely Men," 1913), Žalá? nejtemn?jší ("Darkest Prison," 1918), and Podivné p?átelství herce Jesenia ("The Strange Friendship of the Actor Jesenius," 1919), were psychological masterpieces. He became a Communist after a visit to the U.S.S.R. which inspired his Obrazy ze sou?asného Ruska ("Pictures from Contemporary Russia," 1920). Later he concentrated on social themes, without, however, embracing "socialist realism."

His Anna proletá?ka ("Anne the Proletarian," 1928) is both a psychological and a social novel, while Nikola Šuhaj loupežnik ("The Bandit Nikola Šuhaj," 1933) remains, despite its social-revolutionary tendency, a delightful ballad about a "Robin Hood" hero from sub-Carpathian Ruthenia. This poor, eastern region of pre-war Czechoslovakia also provides the setting for three more works by Olbracht: Zem? beze jména ("Land Without a Name, 1932), Hory a staletí ("Mountains and Centuries," 1935), and Golet v údolí ("Galut in the Valley," 1937), the last serving as a literary memorial to ?asidic life in the sub-Carpathian region. One of his children's books, Biblické p?ib?hy ("Bible Tales," 1939), is a modern treatment of Old Testament stories. Olbracht also translated Marx and Engels' Communist Manifesto into Czech. He was for some years a member of the Czechoslovak parliament.

bibliography:

P. Váša and A. Gregor, Katechismus d?jin ?eské literatury (1925); B. Václavek, ?eská literatura xx. století (1935); J. Kunc, Slovník ?eských spisovatel? beletrist? (1957). add. bibliography: V. Hnízdo, Ivan Olbracht (1977): Lexikon ?eské literatury, 3/I (2000); J. Podlešák, Židé v díle Ivana Olbrachta, in.: Židovská ro?enka (1982–83); Slovník ?eských spisovatel? (2000).

[Avigdor Dagan]