Ladislav Fuks

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Ladislav Fuks (September 24, 1923, Prague—August 19, 1994, Prague) was a Czech novelist. He focused mainly on psychological novels, portraying the despair and suffering of people under Fascist rule.

He was born in Prague as the son of a police officer. He studied the Gymnasium in Truhlářšká ulice, where he also first witnessed Nazi persecution of his Jewish friends. In 1942 he was, as a part of Arbeitseinsatz, forced to be a caretaker in Hodonín .

Later he studied Psylosophy, psychology and history of art on the Phylosophical faculty of Charles University in Prague, where, in 1949,he received a doctorate. After the end of his studies, he was a member of the National heritage administration and since 1959 he worked in the national gallery. He became a professional writer in the 1960's. He attracted much attention with his premiere work,Pan Theodor Mundstock (Mr. Theodore Mundstock), published in 1963 and a year later with his short story collection Mí černovlasí bratři (My dark-haired brothers) .

In the socialist period, he, according to his own words ":preferred to choose conciliatoriness and toleration, against headless resistance and courage to fall in the resistance" ("raději volil smířlivost a toleranci před bezhlavým vzdorem a odvahou padnout v odporu") .Although some of his work from the 70's ase strongly akin to the era in witch they were created (Návrat z žitného pole (The return from the rye field) is a novel, targeted against emigration after the 1948 communist coup) .He was also a member of the socialistic Svaz českých spisovatelů (Union of Czech Writers) .Although he had obtained some international recognition, in the last years of his life he was left alone and without friends. He died in 1994 in his Prague apartment in Dejvice .

[edit] List of Works

Zámek Kynžvart (Castle Kynžvart) - 1958: A professional study

Pan Theodor Mundstock (Mr. Theodore Mundstock) -1963: The story of a Prague Jew who is in constant fear of deportation to the concentration camp. He tries to prepare himself-he sleeps on a wooden plank, tortures himself with hunger and carries heavy things. He also lives through frequent hallucinations and conversations with his shadow. He does not, however, live to be transported, as he is run over by a car.

Mí černovlasí bratři (My dark-haired brothers) -1964:The story of a boy, who loses all his Jewish friends through the occupation-a collection of short stories, marking their individual fates.

Variace na temnou strunu (Variations for a dark string) -1966:The story of the life before the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Germans through the eyes of a small boy. Reality mixes into a blend with ideas of fairy tales, stories and rumors the young boy hears from their family servant.

Spalovač mrtvol (Literally "The incinerator of corpses" or "The Cremator") -1967:A psychological horror story about the worker of a crematorium, who, through the influence of Nazi propaganda and oriental philosophy becomes a maniac, who murders his entire family to "clenge them" by death. It was made into a famous movie with Rudolf Hrušínský as the main actor.

Smrt morčete (The Death of a hamster) -1969:A collection of 10 baladical short stories with Jewish motives.

Myši Natálie Mooshabrové (The myce of Natalia Mooshabr) -1970.

Příběh kriminálního rady (The tale of a criminal counsel) -1971.

Oslovení ze tmy (Addressing from the darkness) -1972

Nebožtíci na bále (The Deceased on a ball) -1972

Návrat z žitného pole (The return from the rye field) -1974

Mrtvý v podchodu (The dead in march) -1976

Pasáček z doliny (The (little) herdsman from the lowland) -1977 *
- The word herdsman is in the original in the form that would suggest a child holding this mantle)