Abstrakt
František Listopad was a Czech poet, novelist, essayist, theater and television director. In 2021, the Czech Republic, along with the entire Portuguese-speaking world, celebrated the centenary of his birth. In addition to his extensive work in several languages, he also played a crucial role in the historical relaunch of Czech-Portuguese cultural relations. Listopad was a man of three names and many houses. He was born in 1921 in Prague as Jiří Synek. He published his first short stories under that name. During World War II he was persecuted for his Jewish origins. However, he avoided deportation to a Nazi camp and changed his name to František Listopad. At the same time he also began to write poetry and literary reviews. After the war, he co-founded the daily Mladá fronta, which still exists today. After the initial enthusiasm, he became a critic of the communist regime, mainly for restricting human freedoms. In 1947, he was sent to Paris as editor of the weekly Parallèle 50.
After February 1948, he was ordered to return to Czechoslovakia, but he did not return. In France, he concentrated mainly on writing essays and working for local television. In 1958 he moved to Portugal, where he lived until his death in 2017. Here he chose another different name - Jorge Listopad. In his literary and theatrical works, František Listopad often existentially reflected life in three unfree systems: the period of Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, communism and Salazar dictatorship in Portugal.