Museum of literature

The Communist coup in February 1948 triggered the first post-war wave of emigration from Czechoslovakia. Most of those who went into exile initially hoped for military intervention by Western powers that would reverse the political situation and allow them to return home soon. Few artists and writers were among them, as many had sympathized with the new regime in the years immediately after the war, caught up in the enthusiasm for building a socialist society. Nevertheless, Czech publications soon began to appear abroad, at first mostly providing information, but later also taking the form of cultural periodicals and book series devoted to literature. However, the hope that their stay away from home would be only a temporary experience was extinguished by the bloody suppression of the anti-Communist revolution in Hungary in 1956.

An alternative to open confrontation with communism was sought in the effort to push for gradual reforms of the regime, in the spirit of gradualism – a theory represented in Czech exile by writer Pavel Tigrid and his associates. During the 1960s, political liberalization in Czechoslovakia brought a relaxation of censorship and strengthened cooperation between authors in exile and those at home. This natural rapprochement between these two currents of Czech culture was brought to a halt, however, by the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968.

This armed intervention triggered the second major wave of emigration, which included many writers, scholars, and journalists who had taken part in the reformist democratization process. Although the influx of new creative figures brought generational and ideological tensions within the exile community – where those who had won and those who had lost in February 1948 now found themselves side by side – it also provided a significant creative impulse for the further development of exile culture and enabled the expansion of exile publishing houses and journals. An important chapter in the history of Czech exile began after the emergence of Charter 77, an informal civic initiative demanding the observance of human and civil rights, when the Communist regime used political pressure to force many of its signatories to leave the country.

The arrival of new exiles strengthened personal ties between the exile community and those who had stayed behind. As communication technology improved, it became increasingly possible to smuggle exile publications into Czechoslovakia and circulate them illegally. Over time, and especially during the 1980s, a growing number of authors living in Czechoslovakia became willing to have their work published abroad, in exile journals and publishing houses.

After November 1989, most writers returned from exile, some permanently, others splitting their time between Czechoslovakia and abroad. Some exile publishing houses continued their book production back home, while most ceased operations. The disappearance of the parallel existence of official and unofficial culture enabled scholars to critically reassess the previous period of literary development. A literary life no longer constrained by political pressure became an important part of the transition to civil society.

Literature for children was produced and published in exile to a much lesser extent than works intended for adults. Its purpose was to provide access to high-quality children’s literature from abroad and, above all, to maintain a connection with the Czech language and culture. A particularly important role was played by textbooks used in Saturday Czech schools, especially reading primers.

One significant project in the late 1980s was Jiří Gruša’s reading primer Máma, táta, já a Eda (Mom, Dad, Me and Eda). Exile publishers issued children’s fiction only occasionally. These publications included works created in exile, such as O kocourovi bez bot (Puss without Boots) by Petr Den; books by authors who were not allowed to publish in Czechoslovakia, including Jaroslav Foglar’s Hoši od Bobří řeky (The Boys from the Beaver River) and Tajemství Velkého Vonta (The Secret of the Great Vont), Eda Kriseová’s Prázdniny s Bosonožkou (Holidays with Barefoot Fairy), and the collection of texts by banned writers entitled Uzel pohádek (A Bundle of Fairy Tales). An exception was the publishing house Bohem Press, founded in Zurich in 1972, which specialized in illustrated children’s books. Exile also saw the publication of magazines for children and young adults. The most popular included Scout magazines such as Stopa (Trace), Skaut – exulant (Scout in Exile), Junák (Czech Scout), or Tam-tam.