Ivan Wernisch

Ivan Wernisch (18 June 1942) is a Czech poet, editor and a collage artist. He studied Ceramics Secondary school in Carlsbad (he left in 1959) and has since done many jobs, mostly manual. In 1961, after publishing his debut poetry book, he quickly established himself as one of the best and most loved writers of his generation. During the 70s and 80s he prepared many radio shows about famous poets of the world (in which he often - true to his interest in mystifications - wrote many of the poems himself), but his books could not be published officially. After the Velvet revolution he worked in a newspaper. Now he works as an editor in the Current Czech Poetry Library. He is also a renowned translator from German, Dutch, Italian, Latin, French and Russian. His work as an editor is focused mainly on forgotten Czech poets of the last three centuries. Another Czech poet, Ewald Murrer, is his son. Ivan Wernisch lives in Prague.

Works

After his first couple of books which were rather playful his poetry began to turn into more dreamy and also absurd one. His poems, full of great imagery based on neologisms, absurd landscapes and mis-quoting other writers, become increasingly sad, if not tragic, with each new book since 1989. His influences include both dadaism and expressionism.

His books were published in translations in Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Poland and USA. He was awarded the Seifert Prize and Premio Capri.

Poetry

• Kam letí nebe (1961)
• Těšení (1963)
• Zimohrádek (1965)
• Dutý břeh (1967)
• Loutky (1970)
• Zasuté zahrady (výbor z ineditních sbírek) (1984), London
• Žil, nebyl (výbor z let 1970-84) (1988), Munich
• Včerejší den (výbor z let 1965-1989) (1989)
• Frc (překlady, překrady) (1991)
• Ó kdežpak (1991)
• Doupě latinářů (1992)
• Zlatomodrý konec stařičkého léta (1994)
• Pekařova noční nůše (1994)
• Jen tak (1996)
• Proslýchá se (1996)
• Cesta do Ašchabadu neboli Pumpke a dalajlámové (1997)
• Z letošního konce světa (heteronym Václav Rozehnal) (2000)
• Cesta do Ašchabadu neboli Pumpke a dalajlámové (2000)
• Lásku já nestojím (2001)
• Bez kufru se tak pěkně skáče po stromech neboli Nún (2001)
• Půjdeme do Mů (2002)
• Blbecká poezie (2002)
• Růžovejch květů sladká vůně (Virtuos na prdel) (2003)
• Hlava na stole (2005)
• Býkárna (with Michal Šanda and Milan Ohnisko) (2006)
• Nikam (2010)

Editor of (among other books)

• Zapadlo slunce za dnem, který nebyl / Zapomenutí, opomíjení a opovrhovaní. Z jiné historie české literatury (léta 1850-1940) (2001)
• Píseň o nosu / Zapomenutí, opomíjení a opovrhovaní. Z jiné historie novočeské literatury (od počátků až do roku 1948) (2005)
• Quodlibet aneb jak se komu co líbí (2008)
• Kdo to čte, je prase (2008)

For children

• Střelnice (1987)

Books published abroad

• Au jour d'hier, translated by P. Ouředník, 1990, France
• Es beginnt der gestrige Tag: Gedichte, 1990, Germany
• Cmentarz objazdowy, translated by L. Engelking, 1991, Poland
• Ausgewühlte Schriften, translated by Peter Urban, 1994, Germany
• Pchli teatrzyk, translated by L. Engelking, Poland, vol. I, 2003, vol. II, 2007
• Corre voce ovvero la morte ci attendeva altrove, 2005, Italy
• In the Puppet Gardens: Selected Poems, 1963-2005, 2007, USA

External links

• Ivan Wernisch
• Ivan Wernisch
• Info in Czech

Authority control VIAF: 119365018 ISNI: 0000 0000 8415 3768 BNF: cb12194168b NKC: jk01151615

Persondata
Name	Wernisch, Ivan
Alternative names
Short description	Czech poet
Date of birth	18 June 1942
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death