Karel Hlaváček, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Karel Hlaváček

Czech poet and artist

Date of Birth: 24-Aug-1874

Place of Birth: Prague, Czech Republic

Date of Death: 15-Jun-1898

Profession: writer, poet, painter

Nationality: Czech Republic

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Karel Hlavácek (August 24, 1874 in Prague – June 15, 1898 in Prague) was a Czech Symbolist and Decadent poet and artist. Hlavácek was born into a working class household in the Prague neighborhood of Liben.
He published his poetic works and art criticisms in the journal Moderní revue (Modern review).
Hlavacek poems were notable for their musicality and phonic homonymy, and contained decadent interests of eroticism and decay, particularly with the symbolic use of his aristocratic vampire attacking young virgins in the poem Upír. Hlavácek was also active as an sketch artist and created illustrations for the poems of Arnošt Prochazka.
He was and heavily inspired by Edvard Munch, creating hallucinatory drawings, both in Symbolist and early expressionist style, suggesting anxieties about sex and religion..
He was the founding member and the first president of the nationalist and athletic Sokol group in the Prague suburb of Liben.
Hlavácek died of tuberculosis, aged 23. There is a memorial plaque dedicated to the poet in U kríže, near his home in Old Libni.