Hašek (English spelling) Jaroslav Hašek

Czechoslovakian writer. Born in Prague to a poor teacher as a father, he was eccentric from an early age and graduated from a business school after many twists and turns. He worked in a bank for a time, but quit due to his wandering nature and became a miscellaneous journalist. He lived a reckless life in Czechoslovakia under the Austrian Empire, writing humorous short stories satirizing the state apparatus and the petty bourgeois mentality. His works are described as literary Dadaism, but he was also involved in anarchist political movements, even forming a bar party and running for election. During World War I, he was drafted as a soldier in the Austrian army and sent to the eastern front, but he switched to the Russian side and became a member of the so-called Czech Legion. After the success of the Bolshevik Revolution, he moved to the Red Army and even served as a political commissar. After the war, in 1920, he returned to Prague to promote the communist revolution in his independent homeland, but democratic politics had already been established under Masaryk's rule and the dream of revolution had disappeared. He was forced to leave Prague and devoted himself to working on The Adventures of Soldier Švejk (1921-23), the work that made him world famous, but he died of a heart attack before completing it.

His literary career began very early, with the poetry collection "May Cry" (1903) co-authored with a friend from business school, and during his lifetime he published "The Good Soldier Švejk and Other Strange Stories" (1912), "My Dog Trade and Other Humorous Short Stories" (1915), etc. Even after his death, many new materials have been discovered, including "The History of the 'Gentle Progress within the Law' Party" (1962).

[Shu Iijima]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

チェコスロバキアの作家。貧しい教師を父としてプラハに生まれ、少年時代から奇行が多く、曲折ののち商業学校を卒業。一時銀行に勤めたが放浪癖のため辞職、雑文記者となり、オーストリア帝政下のチェコで、国家機構やプチブル根性を風刺するユーモア短編を手当たりしだい書きまくり、無頼の生活を送った。作品の傾向は文学的ダダイズムと評されるが、アナキスト的政治運動にも関与し、酒場政党をつくって選挙に立候補しさえした。第一次世界大戦中、オーストリア軍の一兵士として召集され東部戦線に回されたが、ロシア側に走り、いわゆるチェコ軍団の一員となった。さらにボリシェビキ革命の成功後は赤軍に移り、政治委員まで務めた。戦後の1920年、独立した祖国での共産主義革命を促進すべくプラハに戻ったが、すでにマサリク治下の民主政治が確立され、革命の夢は消えていた。やむなくプラハを去って、彼を世界的に有名にした『兵士シュベイクの冒険』（1921～23）の創作に専念したが、心臓発作のため完成を待たずにこの世を去った。

　文学的出発は非常に早く、商業学校の友人と共著の詩集『五月の叫び』（1903）があり、生前に『よき兵士シュベイク　その他の不思議な物語』（1912）、『わたしの犬商売　その他のユーモア短編』（1915）などを公刊。死後も『「法の枠内でのおだやかな進歩」党の歴史』（1962）をはじめ、数多くの新資料が発掘されている。

［飯島　周］

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