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Swedish Academy The Permanent Secretary Press release October 1984 The Nobel Prize in Literature 1984 Jaroslav Seifert Jaroslav Seifert – a Czechoslovakian poet, 83 years young, can look back upon a career of more than 60 years which shows many signs of being likely to continue. With almost thirty volumes of collected poems behind him,…

  Works in Czech Mesto v slzach, 1921 Sama laska, 1923 Na vlnach T.S.F., 1925. – Revised and published as Svatební cesta, 1938 Slavik zpiva spatne, 1926 Hvezdy nad Rajskou zahradou, 1929 Postovni holub, 1929 Jablko z klina, 1933 Ruce Venusiny, 1936 Zpivano do rotacky, 1936 Jaro, sbohem, 1937 Osm dni, 1937 Zhasnete svetla, 1938…

Presentation Speech by Professor Lars Gyllensten, of the Translation from the Swedish text Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen, Jaroslav Seifert can look back upon a career of more than 60 years which shows many signs of being likely to continue. With almost thirty volumes of collected poems behind him he stands out…

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Jaroslav Seifert was born on 23 September 1901 into a working-class family living in Zizkov, a suburb of Prague. He attended secondary school and soon began devoting himself to writing poetry and to journalism. He made his debut in 1918; he published his first collection of poems in 192 1. He belonged to the extreme…

As the Laureate was unable to be present at the Nobel Banquet December 10, 1984, the speech was given by his daughter Jana Seifertová (in French) Vos Majestés, Vos Altesses Royales, Mesdames et Messieurs, Ce que mon père à écrit, il l’a toujours écrit sans grandes prétentions. Seule, la spontanéité l’a toujours poussé; il n’a…