Jan Weiss
Jan Weiss was a notable Czech writer born on May 5, 1892, in Jilemnice, then part of Czechoslovakia. After a challenging childhood marked by the early death of his mother, Weiss pursued law studies at the University of Vienna but was drafted into World War I, where he was captured and spent time as a prisoner of war in Siberia. This harrowing experience shaped much of his literary work, leading him to write prose and poetry during his captivity. Upon returning to Czechoslovakia in 1920, he began a career in the Public Works Ministry while simultaneously developing his writing, ultimately becoming a significant figure in Czech literature.
Weiss’s works often explore themes of reality versus dreams, with his early collections like "Barák smrti" reflecting his wartime experiences through surrealistic narratives. His first novel, "Dům o 1000 patrech," published in 1929, continued this exploration. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, he produced several important works, including novels and short story collections that tackled political and social issues, earning both criticism and acclaim. Despite facing challenges during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, Weiss remained active in writing until a severe critique in 1964 led him to cease his literary output. He passed away on March 7, 1972, in Prague, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneering voice in Czech science fiction and literature.
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Subject Terms
Jan Weiss
Writer
- Born: May 5, 1892
- Birthplace: Jilemnice, Czechoslovakia (now in Czech Republic)
- Died: March 7, 1972
- Place of death: Prague, Czechoslovakia (now in Czech Republic)
Biography
Jan Weiss was born the second of three children on May 5, 1892, in Jilemnice, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic). His father was Josef Weiss, who owned a leather-cutting business, and his mother was Filoména Richterová Weiss. Mrs. Weiss died in 1897, and Mr. Weiss remarried soon after to a German woman with three children of her own.
After graduating from high school, Weiss studied law at the University of Vienna (1913-1914). He was drafted during World War I and sent to the Russian front, where, in 1916, he was captured at Tarnopol. Weiss was first interned in the prisoner-of-war camp at Tockoje during the winter of 1916-1917. In the spring of 1917, he was transferred to Berezovka in Siberia, where, while an office worker, he contracted frostbite and his toes had to be amputated. As a prisoner, he began writing prose and poetry pieces. Weiss was not repatriated until 1920.
Soon after returning home, Weiss was employed in the accounting department of the Public Works Ministry in Prague, Czechoslovakia. His first short stories were published in 1924, in the literary section of a newspaper, Samostatnost. In the mid-1920’s, Weiss became a member of the Circle of Czech Authors.
In 1927, Weiss published three story collections: Barák smrti (the hut of death), Fantóm Smíchu (the phantom of laughter), and Zrcadlo, které se opožd’uje (the mirror that falls behind), all of which deal with the contrast between reality and dreams—a recurring motif in his work—and which are considered pioneering efforts in Czech science fiction. Barák smrti is especially significant: Based on Weiss’s wartime experiences, it tells in surrealistic, fantastic fashion the fevered dreams of a large cast of prisoners of war suffering from typhoid who are confined to a hut waiting to recover or die.
The following year, Weiss married Jaroslava Rasková. Their daughter Jana was born in 1929, the year that Weiss’s first novel, Dům o 1000 patrech (the house of a thousand floors), was published. The novel continued the theme of typhoid hallucinations; here the hero wanders throughout the title dwelling, which symbolizes the structure of society, looking for the originator of evil in order to eliminate it.
Other Weiss works quickly followed, including a collection of short war stories, Bláznivý regiment (a crazy regiment); a novel exploring the contrast between good and evil, Škola zločinu (the crime school); and a novel critical of politics, Mlčeti zlato (to be silent is gold)—which was both attacked and praised: The novel won Jirásek’s Award of the City of Prague.
During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II, Weiss published the novels Přišel z hor (he came from the mountains) and Zázračné ruce (miraculous hands), and the short story collections Nosič nábytku (a furniture carrier) and Povídky o lásce a nenávisti (short stories about love and hatred). The Germans captured Weiss during the liberation of Prague, but partisans freed him.
After the war, Weiss resumed working for the Public Works Ministry before retiring permanently from his accounting job in 1947. He continued writing, releasing such science-fiction collections as Přiběhy staré i nové (old and new stories), Země vnuků (the country of grandsons), and Hádání o budoucím (guessing about the future). He stopped writing in 1964 after a vicious critique of his work appeared in a newspaper.
Awarded the Order of Work in 1962, Jan Weiss suffered from illnesses in his later years, and died in Prague on March 7, 1972.