Editing Jaroslav Seifert (section)

==Biography==
Born in [[Žižkov]], a suburb of [[Prague]] in what was then part of [[Austria-Hungary]], Seifert's first collection of poems was published in 1921. He was a member of the [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia]] (KSČ), the editor of a number of communist newspapers and magazines – ''Rovnost'', ''Sršatec'', and ''Reflektor'' – and the employee of a communist publishing house.

During the 1920s he was considered a leading representative of the Czechoslovak artistic avant-garde. He was one of the founders of the journal ''[[Devětsil]]''. In March 1929, he and six other writers left the KSČ after signing a manifesto protesting against [[Bolshevization|Bolshevized]] Stalinist-influenced tendencies in the new leadership of the party. He subsequently worked as a journalist in the social-democratic and trade union press during the 1930s and 1940s.

In 1949 Seifert left journalism and began to devote himself exclusively to literature. His poetry was awarded important state prizes in 1936, 1955, and 1968, and in 1967 he was designated National Artist. He was the official Chairman of the Czechoslovak Writer's Union for several years (1968–70). In 1977 he was one of the signatories of [[Charter 77]] in opposition to the government of the [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wilson|first=Amrit|author-link=Amrit Wilson|date=1986-02-01|title=News & notes|journal=[[Index on Censorship]]|volume=15|issue=2|pages=3–6|doi=10.1080/03064228608534032|s2cid=220929273|issn=0306-4220|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Seifert was awarded the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 1984. Due to bad health, he was not present at the award ceremony, and so his daughter accepted the Nobel Prize in his name. Even though it was a matter of great importance, there was only a brief remark of the award in the state-controlled media. He died on 10 January 1986, aged 84.

He was buried in the family tomb in [[Kralupy nad Vltavou]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-01-20 |title="Jsou jistí mrtví nebezpečně živí…" - Před 35 lety byl pohřben Jaroslav Seifert |url=https://cesky.radio.cz/jsou-jisti-mrtvi-nebezpecne-zivi-pred-35-lety-byl-pohrben-jaroslav-seifert-8706020 |access-date=2024-09-05 |work=Radio Prague International |language=cs}}</ref> His burial was marked by a high presence of the communist secret police, the [[StB]], who tried to suppress any hint of dissent on the part of mourners.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dissidents And Authorities Say Farewell To Nobel Laureate |website=[[Associated Press]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923091723/https://apnews.com/8feb8b7ef1f1bd7a56804771779831e4 |archive-date=2021-09-23 |url-status=live |url=https://apnews.com/8feb8b7ef1f1bd7a56804771779831e4}}</ref>