The publication Kutná Hora with poems by Jiří Orten would undoubtedly deserve the title of Book of the Year

The 16th volume of the Miraculum Octavum Mundi edition published by Globus International is undoubtedly one of the great contemporary book achievements. The representative edition of the large-format volume of the photobook on selected poems of Kutná Hora native Jiří Orten has been equipped with artistic images by a trio of masters of the black box - Ilja Bojanovský, Ivan Skopec and Jaromír Procházka. We hold in our hands a publication Kutná Hora with poems by Jiří Orten, which would undoubtedly deserve the title of Book of the Year.

The two dozen poems are accompanied by fifty artisanal photographs, both of this legendary city of monuments and its inhabitants and the girlish faces that coincide with the selected poems. An emotionally attuned introduction to this exceptional art book has been prepared by the author under the title My uncle Jiří Orten the daughter of the poet's older brother, Hana Ornestová. The poems and photographs were selected and compiled by Jaromír Procházka, the last surviving member of the above-mentioned trio of photographers. The book is then concluded with a word by Vlastislav Navrátil, chairman of the active Club of Natives and Friends of Kutná Hora.

Orten's Kutná Hora

The association represented by these lines is a continuation of the tradition of native associations in the historic city of silver. The mission of the club is, among other things, to care for the legacy of past generations and to preserve the cultural and intellectual heritage related to Kutná Hora and the nearby region.

The club fulfils its mission in various forms. For example, for more than three decades it has been organizing a competition of young poets and the cultural festival Orten's Kutná Hora. With this traditional event, the Native Club pays tribute to Jiří Orten and commemorates his legacy. The competition for young poets up to the age of 22, the age at which Jiří Orten tragically died, hit by a German occupation ambulance, symbolically connects young poetry adepts with Jiří Orten, whom the young generation remembers in a way that creates space for young people's own activity as authors, performers and active participants in the competition and festival.

The festival also includes exhibitions of artworks. In recent years, these are mostly photographs. It is no coincidence that during these exhibitions in the space of the Federal House, all three authors, whose photographs are the content of the publication Kutná Hora with Poems by Jiří Orten, were already presented at Orten's Kutná Hora in 2018, and today they are once again gathered on the pages of this art book.

Who is who

This is the answer to the quartet of medallions on the tabs of a very nicely designed publication. The personality of the poet Jiří Orten (*1919; †1941) is certainly in our memories from our school literature classes. Due to his Jewish origin, he was unable to complete his studies at the Prague Conservatory after the Nazi invasion, and could only publish his poems under a pseudonym. During his lifetime, he published four collections, was hit by a German ambulance on the day of his 22nd birthday and died of his injuries on 1 September 1941.

The first of the three photographers is Ilja Bojanovský (*1923; †2009), a native of Kutná Hora. After the war, he studied at the Academy of Performing Arts, where he later served as dean and later as rector. He also worked as a chief cameraman at the Czech Television and received many important awards.

Next is Ivan Skopec (*1942; †2017). This native of Tábor moved to Kutná Hora after 1945. Here, as a student, he showed great interest in photography and film. For political reasons, he was not admitted to FAMU, which he was lucky enough to get in 1968. He graduated in cinematography and worked at Barrandov's Krátký film as a cameraman for feature and documentary films until the end of his life. His great hobby was portrait photography, which he pursued after his retirement.

Jaromír Procházka (*1937), who is at the origin of the presented artistic publication, is an important photographer and patriot of Kutná Hora. He graduated from the Prague Conservatory, majoring in Art Photography, and is the curator and author of many thematic exhibitions focused on Kutná Hora. He has also had many exhibitions abroad in Europe, from Slovakia and Hungary to Germany, France, Russia, Poland, Denmark and Holland. Among other things, he is a successful portrait photographer. He has captured countless cultural and political figures from home and abroad with his lens. But his greatest inspiration remains his hometown...

gnews.cz - Ivan Černý

PHOTO - Miroslav Moravec and archive