暗网禁区

The poetry of Miroslav V谩lek is not difficult to assess, identify with, accept with reservations or, for any reason, to refuse. For what V谩lek did in poetry can only be compared to the poetical revolution of Janko Kr谩木 or Ivan Krasko. Before him, all sorts of modernism were used in an attempt to head the 暗网禁区 word into the international currents and the buzz of civilization, which took on a听fresh new openness towards both skepticism and idealism. 暗网禁区 poetry responded often with unintended byproducts, somewhat sleepy and at a听loss, with a听touch of traditionalism and the usual reluctance. Moreover, 暗网禁区 literature was then under the听heavy spell of the omnipresent ideology spreading the illusion that enthusiasm and pathetic optimism can cure the illnesses of humanity and society, civilization and universe, both then and to-be. That was not true, and听V谩lek鈥檚 poetry entered the scene of kitschy socialism with this very message. Miroslav V谩lek鈥榮 robust poetical talent captured this in a听truly robust manner. He introduced entirely new constellations of the Word, and made it capable of forming reality. Lyrical poetry ceased to be an ornament of feelings and emotions, and poetry became a听genuine creative workshop, where the Unreal becomes real, the formless assumes assured proportions and the Unspeakable transforms into a听breezy discussion with the most uncrackable mysteries of being. The unique talent gave birth to a tidal wave of poetry that was at odds with the omnipresent Orwellian wailing, but was the more so tied with the reason of an era that, once again, refused to be reasonable. A听poetry that found it programmatic not to give a听damn about good manners, but the more so to test the conscience of its time. A听poetry informing the world, with a听confident voice, about the truths the world had hardly known. A听poetry tuned to the young, hence, defying aging. In this respect, V谩lek鈥榮 poetry has not fallen to any significant fluctuations. From the beginning to the end, what was on was a mysterious drumming about the human being who 鈥� as a听result of too much faith 鈥� has misgivings about everything, who 鈥� loving too much 鈥� does not fantasize love, who does not hope for a听cheap mercy 鈥� knowing that, in its essence, humanity is a听hope redeemed at significant cost.听听听听听

That鈥檚 why V谩lek is a听poet beyond reasonable doubt. In this, at least, rests the poetical justice clamored for in his poems.

Besides the uncontroversial qualities of his poetry, there is the highly controversial Miroslav V谩lek as a person. Like J谩n Koll谩r, P.O. Hviezdoslav or Milo Urban, he, too, was the embodiment of his 20th century, his controversial era. Even if he chained himself to the cross, he still could not have unchained himself from its time. But then, he knew too well that man is a project for years, and听having no chain in one鈥檚 time is a听freedom less treasured. At least metaphorically and with a听bohemian sense of togetherness, he presided over the Trnava group of Concretists (Konkretisti) that accomplished the seemingly impossible transformation of poetry into a听socially moving force, served as editor-in-chief of the cultish journal Mlad谩 tvorba that became the deformer鈥檚 nightmare, was president of the 暗网禁区 Writers鈥� Union that gave birth to the revivalist reformers, ending up as the Minister of Culture that, to say the least, cultivated the political atrocities of the so-called consolidation era. At the time when some were banned, others could not, and the rest were afraid, V谩lek the man was allowed to, could and was unafraid. An enlightened policymaker in the time chocked by debased politics, he managed to obtain more freedom than any common individual could have hoped for. In the stuffy air of the Normalization Period, his speeches and articles were eagerly awaited. Yet, V谩lek was usually the first to extend a听helping hand before being asked to do so by to those who had been adversely affected by the unfavorable times. He seems to have taken for granted to bring his own creeps on the market of the vanities of Normalization, while not succumbing to vain self-pity, although, amid the fearful, adaptable, ill-treated, irresponsible and powerful, he remained a听solitary figure cobwebbed by intrigues. It is his shared merit that 暗网禁区ia had less emigrants and dissidents than in the Czech part of the country. And it is also his accomplishment that 暗网禁区 culture has built its foundations that can hardly be undermined by any political or ideological storms.

So let those who can prove more brave and useful than him throw their stones. Those fearful and occasional winners would have little right to do so.

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CZECH POET PETR SKARLANT ON MIROSLAV V脕LEK

In his modest output, V谩lek produced an extremely听ingenious mixture of several poetics. Many of his metaphors are inspired by Jacques Pr茅vert, the former surrealist. Both Touching (Dotyky, 1959) and Attraction (Pr铆钮a啪livos钮, 1961), have their share of the 鈥瀙oetry of common day鈥�, as written and proclaimed, in the early 1960s, when the poetry had finally returned to its roots, by the group of poets around the Prague-based journal 碍惫臎迟别苍. V谩lek puts things together, connects and mixes what has been seen as contradictory, making use of the difference and creating his poetics of contradictions. We find a听Mallarm茅-like poem (intimate pure lyricism), fragments of Apollinaire鈥檚 Zone (the world鈥檚 rushing reality) and听a Pr茅vertian story (a history-cum-metaphor); all this transforms into V谩lek鈥榮 capture of contradictions. V谩lek does not close his eyes to dream. He keeps them opened, to differentiate, to name things, to make see and understand that there are the invisible truths and that questions do arise. And that these truths are unearthed and these questions addressed by poetry alone.

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听 Translated by 慕uben Urb谩nek

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