Faculty of Education students majoring in Czech Studies moved three tonnes of stone

The one-hundred-year anniversary of the birth of Ladislav Dvořák, a poet, writer, author of literature for children, translator and journalist, has become an excellent opportunity for a much-deserved reflection on his live and moral legacy. The literary history workshop organised in his memory was held at the premises of the Grammar School in Velké Meziříčí, where Dvořák studied. Lectures were presented by Dr. Jan Bílek and Professor Vladimír Křivánek from the Department of Czech Language and Literature of the Faculty of Education of the University of Hradec Králové, and Dr. Vlastimil Čech from the Department of Czech Literature of the Faculty of Art of Masaryk University in Brno. The lecturers interpreted the writer’s life and work in the critical years of the Nazi regime and in the initial years of the Communist regime, in the “golden” sixties and after his signature of Charter 77, as well as in a broader literary context. The lectures and other texts on and about Ladislav Dvořák will be published in the 24^th volume of the national history journal Western Moravia. Visitors could also visit the exhibition of documents and books curated by the archivist, Dr. Martin Štindl.

The workshop was accompanied by a cultural programme. The Director, Jaroslava Šiktancová from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, prepared a performative recital called Ladislav Dvořák which sought to answer the question of who he was based on the author’s literary work and the testimony about his life in the form of biographical sketches. This was followed by the unveiling of a memorial plaque created by the sculptor Jiří Mark Jr. from Dvořak’s native hamlet of Krásněves. The mayor Karel Uhlíř explained the genesis of the plaque, the writer’s son held a short speech, as did Dr. Bílek. The day was concluded by a musical performance. The event was attended by several hundreds of people. At the event which combined science and culture, made possible by a cooperation of universities, local government and state administration, the Faculty of Education of the University of Hradec Králové was represented not just by its lecturers, but also by the Vice-Dean, Dr. Nella Mlsová, and the Head of Department, Dr. Petra Bubeníčková. The memorial plaque was installed on a three-ton block of stones hauled from a nearby ravine, where the writer used to play as a little boy.