Czech poet, theatre director, translator, playwright, and librettist
This article is about the Czech poet, playwright, and librettist. For the Czech composer, conductor, and pianist, see
Jaroslav Kvapil (composer) .
Jaroslav Kvapil
Signature of Jaroslav Kvapil (1932)
Jaroslav Kvapil (25 September 1868 in Chudenice , Kingdom of Bohemia – 10 January 1950 in Prague ) was a Czech poet, theatre director , translator , playwright , and librettist . From 1900 he was a director and Dramaturg at the National Theatre in Prague , where he introduced plays by Anton Chekhov , Henrik Ibsen and Maxim Gorky into the repertory. Later he was a director at the Vinohrady Theatre (1921–1928). He wrote six plays, but is today chiefly remembered as the librettist of Antonín Dvořák 's Rusalka .[ 1]
Kvapil was the principal author of the Manifesto of Czech writers of 1917, signed by over two hundred leading Czechs, favouring the concept of Czech self-government.[ 2]
He was a prominent freemason, from 1923 to 1924 he was first Grand Master of the National Grand Lodge of Czechoslovakia .[ 3] He was married to actress Hana Kvapilová from 1894 until her death in 1907.
References
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