Dolor

by Vladimír Holan, Clara Janés (Traductora)

Reading Dolour is like looking into the most private depths of Holan's soul. Some of his poems are so simple that they are almost child-like; some are cruel and harsh, while others border on pornography. One can easily call him a wordsmith - he uses words as thoughts to convey his every written nuance. Sometimes, he purposefully chooses archaic and totally obsolete Czech words, which are virtually untranslatable. He was obsessed with women and sex, as well as his belief in God, Satan, Hell and Heaven. Both his sensuality and spirituality appear in most of his works and his intensity of emotion is almost tangible. Yet, he was so sentimental that he saw romance in every situation - even a glimpse of a woman's face in a passing train or encountering a woman in an elevator, or wondering what book that girl in a tram was reading. When the Communist Party took over Czechoslovakia, Holan was utterly devastated by their totalitarian regime, but his polemic was but a grain of sand in the oyster of hope. Reading Dolour is an experience you will never forget!

Genres: Poetry, School

166 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

s one of the earlier poets of the country. Born in the year 1905, Vladimír Holan was famous for the obscure language and the pessimistic ideas that his poems revealed. Born in Prague, Vladimír Holan perused a career of a clerk. His first poetic work was published in the year 1932 and was called Vanutí meaning Breezing.

A member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Vladimír Holans poetry often reflected his strong political views. His more political poems included, Zárí 1938 (September 1938),Sen (The Dream), Odpoved Francii (The Reply to France), and Zpev tríkrálový (Twelfth Night Song). In the year 1949 he left the Communist party and by the 1950s and 60s he started writing longer poems which were a mixture of abstract lyrics and reality.

Vladimír Holan stopped writing after the death of his only daughter in the year 1977 and in the year 1980 he passed away and was buried at the Olšany Cemetery. The most celebrated poems of the poet Vladimír Holan includes:

* Snow
* Stay
* When It Rains On Sunday
* A Night With Hamlet
* Eodem anno pons ruptus est
* Meeting in a Lift
* Mi Lascio
* She Asked You
* Human Voice

Reviews

[Barbora Hempelová · Rating 5 out of 5]

Čekala jsem depku a přitom taková parádní parádička.

[Freckles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holan překvapil. Některý básně byly fakt krásný.

[Gerardo Daniel Jiménez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno de los mejores poemarios que he leído en mucho tiempo. Holan es un verdadero sabio, y si bien creo que su poética puede retraerse a la de Baudelaire y los expresionistas alemanes, es claro que sus imágenes y sus formas nacen de la sensibilidad y la experiencia viva del poeta. Me gustó mucho.

[Bětka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Některé verše jsou fakt krásné. Možná kdybych to zas nehonila na poslední chvíli, možná bych se do toho dostala víc.