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Milos Forman (1932)A film director who is considered one of the most significant directors in the world today. He received Oscars for his films "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Amadeus". He also directed a film version of the anti-war musical "Hair". After the Soviet occupation of 1968, he emigrated from Czechoslovakia and now lives in the United States. |
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Vaclav Havel (1936)A world-renowned dramatist, essayist, philosopher and President of the Czech Republic. Thecentral theme of his literary texts is human identity and the mechanisms of dehumanized power. In the 1970's and 1980's he was something of a spiritual leader for the dissidents. After the fall of the Communist regime he was elected President of Czechoslovakia in December 1989. Three years later he became the President of the Czech Republic. |
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Leos Janacek (1854-1928)A major figure in modern European music. In his works Janacek was inspired by Czech folk music while at the same time he became one of the first composers to abandon the traditional tonal major-minor system. The operas "Jenufa" and "Katya Kabanova" are among his best compositions. Another famous work of his is an orchestral rhapsody "Taras Bulba". |
Leos Janacek: Listek odvanuty Leos Janacek: Pilky
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Franz Kafka (1883-1924)The most famous and favourite Prague writer. Although he was Jewish and wrote in German, he spent his entire life in Bohemia. His best works are "Metamorphosis", "The Trial" and "The Castle", reflecting the desperate alienation of individuals in the 20th century world. |
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Vaclav Klaus (1941)Prime Minister and economist, one of the principal fathers of the system of economic transformation of the Czech Republic and the driving force behind its implementation. In 1990 he became the Minister of Finance and since 1992 he has been the chairman the Civic Democratic Party, the strongest conservative party in Central Europe. |
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Milan Kundera (1929)A writer who reached international fame thanks to his novels published in exile. His best novels - "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" ( 1985) and "Immortality" (1990) were translated into many languages. He received a number of prestigious literary awards for his work and he is acknowledged as one of the world's best contemporary writers. |
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Thomas Garrigue Masaryk (1850-1937)University professor, philosopher, sociologist and politician who is often called "Father of the Nation".During the First World War,he formed a Czechoslovak government abroad that was recognized by European powers, thus creating one of the basic conditions for the establishmentof an independent Czechoslovakia. Between 1918 and 1935 he was the first President of the Czechoslovak Republic. |
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Alfons Mucha (1860-1944)A Czech painter based in Paris whose pictures in "Art Nouveau" style were so successful that the movement was originally called the "Mucha style". He is best known for his theatre posters of Sarah Bernhardt; he also designed many costumes for this actress. |
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Martina Navratilova (1956)Together with Ivan Lendl she is the most successful representative of Czech tennis. She has won Wimbledon nine times and in total she has won 164 titles from international tournaments. In 1975 she emigrated from Czechoslovakia and now lives in the United States. |
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Josef Sudek (1896-1976)One of the world's best photographers. In his works the subjective and objective points of view are intermixed. His fragile and pellucid photographs present, in afascinating manner, the harmonious beauty of everyday objects, nature and human life. |