About JirÃ Orten

Jiří Orten (1919–1941) was one of the greatest writers of Czechoslovakia’s “war generation” and arguably one of the finest European poets of the twentieth century. On his twenty-second birthday, while crossing a street in Prague, he was struck by a German ambulance. A friend took him to the General Infirmary in Prague, but as a Jew, Orten could not be treated there and had to be moved to a different hospital. Two days later, he died.

Also By This Author

What Is Prohibited
Snowflakes
What Are We?
Screaming

Recent Blog Entries

The Moscow Protests, Part 3
Consider the Lobstermen
Assignment Afghanistan: Third Squad
The Lovely Sea
The Golden Triangle
The End of the Séance
The Soviet Era: A Look Back
The Moscow Protests, Part 2

Black Picture

Jirí Orten

Only subscribers may read this in its entirety. What follows is a free preview, truncated midway through.

In vain the reins are jerking,
the whip is striking air,
it won’t hit you where you’re lurking,
in vain the reins are jerking,

Subscription Required

Virginia Quarterly Review
5 Boar's Head Place
PO Box 400223
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22903-3237
ISSN 2154-6932

The remaining 87 words in this article are available only to paid subscribers of VQR. Subscribers have access to over thirty years of the great fiction, poetry, and essays that VQR is renowned for. Subscribe to VQR now and start enjoying all the benefits!
E-mail Address:
Password:
	Forgot password?

Recent Blog Entries

Newsletter

Black Picture

Jirí Orten

Subscription Required