Karel Kryl (1944 – 1994) - Prague, Czech Republic
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vraatja
N 50° 05.145 E 014° 21.062
33U E 453573 N 5548366
Karel Kryl was a popular Czech poet, songwriter and singer of many protest songs in which he strongly criticized and identified the shortcomings and inhumanity of the Communist. He was one of the icons of anti-communist resistance.
Waymark Code: WMAEYX
Location: Hlavní město Praha, Czechia
Date Posted: 01/07/2011
Views: 101
Karel Kryl was undoubtely one of the greatest artists of the Czech postwar period, who influenced many generations.
Captivating tunes and thoughtful lyrics - that's how Karel Kryl's protest songs can be described in short. Probably the best-known was his album "Bratricku, zavirej vratka" ("Close the Gate, Little Brother") protesting against the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia. Expressing fear and hopelessness, this song became a symbol of the post-1968 normalization era. The song did not lose its symbolic value after 1989.
The album, just like many other works of art at that time was banned, and its author left Czechoslovakia for Germany. In exile, Karel Kryl worked as a presenter at Radio Free Europe in Munich.
During the enthusiastic November days in 1989, Karel Kryl returned to Czechoslovakia only to experience bitter disappointment with the transformation of society. On March 3, 1994, just a month before his fiftieth birthday, Karel Kryl died of a heart attack.
His grave is located on a Brevnov Cemetary (Brevnovský hrbitov).
Relevant Web Site: Not listed
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