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{{Short description|Czech writer of prose narratives}}
[[File:Jakub Arbes 1884 Mara.png|thumb|Jakub Arbes (1884)]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
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'''Jakub Arbes''' (June 12, 1840, [[Prague]] ([[Smíchov]]) – April 8, 1914) was an influential [[Czech people|Czech]] revolutionary, intellectual and writer. He is best known as the creator of the literary genre called ''[[romanetto]]'' and spent much of his professional life in France.
{{Infobox writer
| name = Jakub Arbes
| image = Jakub Arbes.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Jakub Arbes (1884)
| pseudonym =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1840|6|12}}
| birth_place = [[Prague]], Austrian Empire
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1914|4|8|1840|6|12}}
| death_place = [[Prague]], Austria-Hungary
| resting_place = [[Smíchov|Praha-Smíchov]]
| occupation = Writer and journalist
| language = [[Czech language|Czech]]
| nationality = [[Czechs|Czech]]
| period =
| genre =
| subject =
| movement =
| notableworks =
| partner = Josefina Rabochová
| children =
| relatives =
| influences =
| influenced =
| awards =
| signature = Signatura Arbes.svg
⚫
}}

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'''Jakub Arbes''' (12 June 1840, in [[Prague]] ([[Smíchov]]) – 8 April 1914) was a [[Czech people|Czech]] writer and intellectual. He is best known as the creator of the literary genre called ''[[romanetto]]'' and spent much of his professional life in [[France]].


== Life and Politics ==
== Life and Politics ==
A native of Smichov in Prague, Arbes excelled as student, gaining tutorship under [[Jan Neruda]], with whom he harboured a lifelong admiration. Later he studied Philosophy and Literature at [[Prague Polytechnic]] and in 1867 began his career in journalism as editor of Vesna Kutnohorská, and from 1868 to 1877 as the chief editor of the National Press. Arbes was also an editor of the seminal and often polemical magazines 'Hlas' (The Voice) and 'Politiks' (Politics), and a sympathizer of the ''[[Májovci]]'' literary group. During this time Arbes was persecuted and spent 15 months in the Czech Lipa prison, for leading an outspoken and humanitarian opposition to the ruling [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]] .<ref>{{cite book |title=Slovník českých spisovatelů |last= |first= |authorlink= |author=ed. Věra Menclová, Václav Vaněk |year=2005 |publisher=Libri |location=[[Prague]] |isbn=80-7277-179-5 |url= |page=52 |language=cs}}</ref> He left Prague soon after, whereupon he was drawn to Paris and the South of France to be part of the ever rapidly expanding intellectual community there. Living in France he became close friends with other "Bohemian Parisiens" such as [[Paul Alexis]], [[Luděk Marold]], [[Guy de Maupassant]], [[Viktor Oliva]], and [[Karel Vítězslav Mašek]] as well as the great French writer [[Émile François Zola]].
A native of Smíchov in Prague, Arbes studied under [[Jan Neruda]], for whom he had a lifelong admiration, and later he studied Philosophy and Literature at [[Prague Polytechnic]]. In 1867, he began his career in journalism as editor of ''Vesna Kutnohorská'', and from 1868 to 1877, as the chief editor of the National Press. Arbes was also an editor of political magazines ''Hlas'' (The Voice) and ''Politiks'' (Politics), and a sympathizer of the ''[[Májovci]]'' literary group. During this time, Arbes was persecuted and spent 15 months in the Czech Lipa prison, for leading opposition to the ruling [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Slovník českých spisovatelů |editor-first1=Věra |editor-last1=Menclová |editor-first2=Václav |editor-last2=Vaněk |year=2005 |publisher=Libri |location=[[Prague]] |isbn=80-7277-179-5 |page=52 |language=cs}}</ref> He left Prague soon after, spending time in Paris and the South of France as part of the intellectual community there. In France, he was an associate of other "Bohemian Parisiens" such as [[Paul Alexis]], [[Luděk Marold]], [[Guy de Maupassant]], [[Viktor Oliva]], and [[Karel Vítězslav Mašek]], as well as the French writer [[Émile François Zola]].


== Writer ==
== Writer ==
Arbes cooperated with many of his contemporaries, [[Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic]], [[Josef Svatopluk Machar]] and his mentor [[Jan Neruda]], and was greatly influenced by the British writers [[Lord Byron]] and [[Edgar Allan Poe]]. He translated much of Poe's literature into French and Czech, and his affection for Poe was so great that he named his son Edgar, who was raised in his adopted France. Perhaps Arbes' greatest influence came from [[Émile Zola]]'s theory of the experimental novel. Arbes wrote fiction in which he analysed the plight of the urban working classes and explained the ideas of utopian socialism. Arbes's work is characterised by a sense of moral justice and rationalist, critical thinking. His most important works are his "romanettoes", written in the 1860s and the 1870s. These short novels are predecessors of the modern detective story. They are firmly set within concrete locations, mostly in Central Europe, and they usually present a gothic mystery, which is subsequently resolved through intellectual effort and rational analysis. Arbes's "romanettoes" introduced technical knowledge and scientific reasoning into modern literature. Arbes used autobiographical elements and anarchic and free-thinking themes in his novels. He was fascinated by creative individuals and political rebels whose intellectual capacities gave them personal independence, but whose non-conformism led them to destruction.<ref>{{cite book |title= http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/Slavonic/Cz_novel.html}}</ref>
Arbes worked with contemporary writers including [[Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic]], [[Josef Svatopluk Machar]] and his mentor [[Jan Neruda]], and was influenced by the English-language writers [[Lord Byron]] and [[Edgar Allan Poe]]. He translated many of Poe's writings into French and Czech, and named his son Edgar. Arbes was also strongly influenced by [[Émile Zola]]'s theory of the experimental novel.<ref name="culik"/> Arbes wrote about the urban working classes and promoted his ideas of utopian socialism.<ref name="culik"/> His work incorporates the themes of moral justice, [[free-thinker|free thinking]] and [[rationalism]],<ref name="culik"/> and also featured autobiographical elements.<ref name="culik"/> His characters were often creative and rebellious free-thinkers, whose intellectual abilities made them independent, but were eventually destroyed by non-conformism.<ref name="culik"/>

His most well-known works are his "romanettoes", written in the 1860s and the 1870s, predecessors of the modern detective story. They are mostly set in Central Europe, and they usually feature a gothic mystery, which is resolved by logical reasoning. Arbes's "romanettoes" introduced technical knowledge and scientific reasoning into modern literature.<ref name="culik">{{cite web|url=http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/Slavonic/Cz_novel.html |title=The Czech Noval |first=Jan |last=Čulík |author-link=Jan Čulík |access-date=1 May 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120124015743/http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/Slavonic/Cz_novel.html |archive-date=24 January 2012 }}</ref>


== Newton's Brain ==
=== ''Newton's Brain'' ===
Among Arbes's most influential works was 'Newton's brain' (1877). In this story, two ideas coincide: the brain of the genius and trickster, apparently dies at the battle of Koniggratz in the Austro-Prussian war of 1866. It turns out however, that he has not died and instead is able to procure a replacement for his injured brain. This replacement is none other than Newton's brain. From now on, he understands the laws of nature and learns how to evade them. The contraption that helps him overcome time and space is some strange apparatus, possibly only a geometrical design -a kind of triangle-, with which one can travel faster than the speed of light. It also enables one to photograph the past. The device is not explicitly a time machine, but is rather an indeterminate thing between the material and the mental. For in the end, the narrator's friend discloses to his baffled audience that this device is nothing but human imagination. And yet, it is not only that, for the triangle faster than light is very precise instrument and it is claimed that with its help one can reconstruct the truth of history, in this case the Battle of Koniggratz. 'Newton's brain' appeared some 18 years before [[H.G. Wells]] [[Time Machine]], and has been described as Wells' most poignant influence. [[Émile Zola|Zola]] wrote of Arbes: 'Like Wells, Arbes is not a poet, not an artist, but rather a writer, and one of considerable stature, by which I mean an intellectual experimenter, a mind of a certain intellectual partiality and from a specific social background, an author with a socially critical and ameliorative tendency, and an educator rather than a discoverer in spheres of soul and form" <ref>{{cite book |title= http://books.google.com.au/books?id=2W-QMbKoHMoC&pg=PA169&lpg=PA169&dq=jakub+arbes+wells&source=bl&ots=wwdjr01r6B&sig=ZzPvYp8b5-hpX-x56ijEUZCpcdw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Zk1UT7HABPC5iAeW2aX_BA&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=jakub%20arbes%20wells&f=falsel}}</ref>
Among Arbes's most influential works was ''Newton's Brain'' (1877). In this story, two ideas coincide: the brain of the genius and trickster, apparently dies at the [[Battle of Königgrätz]] in the [[Austro-Prussian War]] of 1866. However, he has not died and instead is able to procure a replacement for his injured brain, which is the brain of [[Isaac Newton]]. Subsequently, he uses Newton's knowledge of the laws of nature to overcome them, using a strange device to travel faster than the speed of light, and also to photograph the past. In the end, the narrator's friend discloses to the audience that this device is human imagination. However, it is a very precise instrument and can be used to reconstruct the truth of history, in this case the Battle of Königgrätz. ''Newton's Brain'' was published 18 years before [[H. G. Wells]]'s ''[[The Time Machine]]'', and has been considered a strong influence on Wells. [[Émile Zola|Zola]] wrote that Arbes "is not a poet, not an artist, but rather a writer, and one of considerable stature, by which I mean an intellectual experimenter, a mind of a certain intellectual partiality and from a specific social background, an author with a socially critical and ameliorative tendency, and an educator rather than a discoverer in spheres of soul and form".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2W-QMbKoHMoC&q=jakub+arbes+wellsl&pg=PA169|title=The Reception of H.G. Wells in Europe|first1=Patrick|last1=Parrinder|first2=John S.|last2=Partington|date=12 July 2005|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|isbn=9780826462534|via=Google Books}}</ref>


== Legacy ==
== Legacy ==
Arbes' legacy has given him great prominence in Czech culture and modern literature globally, inspiring generations of writers, intellectuals and students. The public square in central Prague is named in his honour as well as several other squares and streets in Czech cities.
A public square in central Prague is named in his honour, as well as several other squares and streets in Czech cities.


== Works ==
== Works ==
{{Wikisource author}}


=== Romanettos ===
=== Romanettos ===
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*''Zázračná madona'' (1875)
*''Zázračná madona'' (1875)
*''Ukřižovaná'' (1876)
*''Ukřižovaná'' (1876)
*''Newtonův mozek'' “[[Newton’s Brain]]” (1877)
*''Newtonův mozek'' [[''Newton's Brain'']] (1877)
**''Newton's Brain'', trans. Josef Jiří Král, 1892; newly edited, Sublunary Editions, 2021
*''Akrobati'' (1878)
*''Akrobati'' (1878)
*''Zborcené harfy tón'' (1885–1886)
*''Zborcené harfy tón'' (1885–1886)
Line 53: Line 87:


== External links ==
== External links ==
{{Commons|Jakub Arbes}}
{{Commons}}
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* {{Gutenberg author |id=Arbes,+Jakub | name=Jakub Arbes}}
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* {{Internet Archive author}}


{{Wikisource|Author:Jakub Arbes}}
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{{Authority control|VIAF=54185097}}
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* {{Gutenberg author |id=7855| name=Jakub Arbes}}
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* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Jakub Arbes}}

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{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Arbes, Jakub
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Czech revolutionary, intellectual and writer
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1840
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = 1914
| PLACE OF DEATH =
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}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arbes, Jakub}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arbes, Jakub}}
[[Category:Czech writers]]
[[Category:Czech male journalists]]
[[Category:Czech journalists]]
[[Category:Novelists from Austria-Hungary]]
[[Category:Journalists from Austria-Hungary]]
[[Category:1840 births]]
[[Category:1840 births]]
[[Category:1914 deaths]]
[[Category:1914 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Prague]]
[[Category:Writers from Prague]]
[[Category:Czech Technical University in Prague alumni]]
[[Category:Czech Technical University in Prague alumni]]

Latest revision as of 23:41, 29 June 2024

Jakub Arbes
Jakub Arbes (1884)
Jakub Arbes (1884)
Born(1840-06-12)12 June 1840
Prague, Austrian Empire
Died8 April 1914(1914-04-08) (aged 73)
Prague, Austria-Hungary
Resting placePraha-Smíchov
OccupationWriter and journalist
LanguageCzech
NationalityCzech
PartnerJosefina Rabochová
Signature

Jakub Arbes (12 June 1840, in Prague (Smíchov) – 8 April 1914) was a Czech writer and intellectual. He is best known as the creator of the literary genre called romanetto and spent much of his professional life in France.

Life and Politics

[edit]

A native of Smíchov in Prague, Arbes studied under Jan Neruda, for whom he had a lifelong admiration, and later he studied Philosophy and Literature at Prague Polytechnic. In 1867, he began his career in journalism as editor of Vesna Kutnohorská, and from 1868 to 1877, as the chief editor of the National Press. Arbes was also an editor of political magazines Hlas (The Voice) and Politiks (Politics), and a sympathizer of the Májovci literary group. During this time, Arbes was persecuted and spent 15 months in the Czech Lipa prison, for leading opposition to the ruling Austro-Hungarian Empire.[1] He left Prague soon after, spending time in Paris and the South of France as part of the intellectual community there. In France, he was an associate of other "Bohemian Parisiens" such as Paul Alexis, Luděk Marold, Guy de Maupassant, Viktor Oliva, and Karel Vítězslav Mašek, as well as the French writer Émile François Zola.

Writer

[edit]

Arbes worked with contemporary writers including Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic, Josef Svatopluk Machar and his mentor Jan Neruda, and was influenced by the English-language writers Lord Byron and Edgar Allan Poe. He translated many of Poe's writings into French and Czech, and named his son Edgar. Arbes was also strongly influenced by Émile Zola's theory of the experimental novel.[2] Arbes wrote about the urban working classes and promoted his ideas of utopian socialism.[2] His work incorporates the themes of moral justice, free thinking and rationalism,[2] and also featured autobiographical elements.[2] His characters were often creative and rebellious free-thinkers, whose intellectual abilities made them independent, but were eventually destroyed by non-conformism.[2]

His most well-known works are his "romanettoes", written in the 1860s and the 1870s, predecessors of the modern detective story. They are mostly set in Central Europe, and they usually feature a gothic mystery, which is resolved by logical reasoning. Arbes's "romanettoes" introduced technical knowledge and scientific reasoning into modern literature.[2]

Newton's Brain

[edit]

Among Arbes's most influential works was Newton's Brain (1877). In this story, two ideas coincide: the brain of the genius and trickster, apparently dies at the Battle of Königgrätz in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. However, he has not died and instead is able to procure a replacement for his injured brain, which is the brain of Isaac Newton. Subsequently, he uses Newton's knowledge of the laws of nature to overcome them, using a strange device to travel faster than the speed of light, and also to photograph the past. In the end, the narrator's friend discloses to the audience that this device is human imagination. However, it is a very precise instrument and can be used to reconstruct the truth of history, in this case the Battle of Königgrätz. Newton's Brain was published 18 years before H. G. Wells's The Time Machine, and has been considered a strong influence on Wells. Zola wrote that Arbes "is not a poet, not an artist, but rather a writer, and one of considerable stature, by which I mean an intellectual experimenter, a mind of a certain intellectual partiality and from a specific social background, an author with a socially critical and ameliorative tendency, and an educator rather than a discoverer in spheres of soul and form".[3]

Legacy

[edit]

A public square in central Prague is named in his honour, as well as several other squares and streets in Czech cities.

Works

[edit]
Wikisource has original works by or about:
Jakub Arbes

Romanettos

[edit]
  • Ďábel na skřipci (1865)
  • Elegie o černých očích (1865–1867)
  • Svatý Xaverius (1873)
  • Sivooký démon (1873)
  • Zázračná madona (1875)
  • Ukřižovaná (1876)
  • Newtonův mozek ''Newton's Brain'' (1877)
    • Newton's Brain, trans. Josef Jiří Král, 1892; newly edited, Sublunary Editions, 2021
  • Akrobati (1878)
  • Zborcené harfy tón (1885–1886)
  • Lotr Gólo (1886)
  • Duhový bod nad hlavou (1889)
  • Duhokřídlá Psýché (1891)
  • Kandidáti existence
  • Etiopská lilie

Novels

[edit]
  • Moderní upíři
  • Štrajchpudlíci
  • Mesiáš
  • Anděl míru
  • Kandidáti existence
  • Český Paganini
  • Záhadné povahy
  • Z duševní dílny básníků

Journalism

[edit]
  • Epizody
  • Pláč koruny české neboli Nová persekuce

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Menclová, Věra; Vaněk, Václav, eds. (2005). Slovník českých spisovatelů (in Czech). Prague: Libri. p. 52. ISBN 80-7277-179-5.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Čulík, Jan. "The Czech Noval". Archived from the original on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  3. ^ Parrinder, Patrick; Partington, John S. (12 July 2005). The Reception of H.G. Wells in Europe. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780826462534 – via Google Books.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jakub Arbes.
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
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