Vitezslav Nezval
Czech Republic (1900—1958)
Encouraged to art and literature as a child, Nezval abandoned philosophy to focus on poetry and literature. In 1920 he joined the Devetšil. Fascinated by the avant-garde circle, he got closer to Breton and Éluard in Paris. In 1934 he founded the Surrealist Group of Czechoslovakia and served as editor of its journal Surrealismus. He also authored the book Abeceda (Alphabet), containing poems focused on the form, sound and function of the letters. Later his poem Sbohem a šáteček (Waving Farewell) was transposed into music. He also wrote political poems against Nazism.
