Karel Novák (8 December 1890 – 23 November 1980), known professionally as Karel Nový, was a Czech writer and journalist.[1]
Biography
Karel Novák was born into the family of a poor baker.[2] He published under the name Karel Nový and later adopted this name as his own. He studied at the grammar school in Benešov and his classmate in the third and fourth years was Vladislav Vančura with whom he became close friends.[3]
Nový did not finish high school and, after several short-term jobs, began to study journalism. As a journalist, he worked with left-wing intelligentsia. During World War II, he was arrested in 1944 by the Nazi occupiers and interned in the Klecina labor camp (Klettendorf) in Silesia near Wrocław.
After the liberation, he worked gradually in several newsrooms, from 1952 to 1956 he was the editor-in-chief of the State Children's Book Publishing House. From 1956 he worked as a professional writer. In 1960 he was appointed National Artist.
The grave of the Karel Nový and his family in the Old Town Cemetery in Benešov
Karel Nový died in 1980 in Prague and was buried in the Old Town Cemetery in Benešov. The grave of the Karel Nový family in the Old Town Cemetery in Benešov.[4]
Works
The literary work of Karel Nový covers many genres: from feuilletons and short stories to long novels, from books for children and youth to theatrical plays and film scripts. His work is often classified as critical realism, he often dealt with social issues.[3]
Městečko Raňkov – 1927
Železný kruh (trilogy):
Samota Křešín – 1927
Srdce ve vichru – 1930
Tváří v tvář – 1933
Peníze – 1931
Chceme žít – 1933
Atentát –Rytíři a lapkové (nejprve pod názvem Železo železem se ostří) 1940
