Biography
Early Life and Family
In the quaint village of Male Svatonovice, nestled within the borders of Bohemia—an area later absorbed by Czechoslovakia—two brothers, Josef and Karel Capek, came into the world. They were the offspring of the village's esteemed doctor, Antonín Capek, and his intellectually gifted wife, Bozena Capekova. Josef made his debut in 1887, followed by Karel on January 9, 1890, separated by nearly three years. The bond between them was unbreakable from a tender age. While Karel, frail in health, spent much of his life battling ailments, Josef stood as his stalwart guardian and guiding influence.
Educational Pursuits and Early Collaborations
When Karel embarked on his boarding school journey, the family relocated to Prague in 1907, where he soon joined them to complete his high school education. Defying familial expectations, Josef pursued his passion at art school, while the duo started crafting stories for newspapers. Karel's intellectual odyssey continued at Charles University in 1909, where he delved into art history, aesthetics, and philosophy, earning a doctorate by 1915. Their intellectual curiosity led them overseas—Karel absorbed knowledge in Paris and Berlin, whereas Josef immersed himself in the vibrant artistic scene of Paris. Together, they unveiled their inaugural literary work, a collection of short tales titled The Luminous Depths, in 1916.
Ascendancy in the Avant-Garde
In Prague, the Capek brothers emerged as pioneering figures in the avant-garde movement. As Josef pursued his path to becoming a celebrated Czech painter, Karel ventured into journalism and novel writing, gaining acclaim for his short stories. Their collaborative spirit endured, primarily manifesting in the realm of theater, where they penned a series of ten plays over two decades. Their initial theatrical endeavor, The Fateful Play of Love, was completed in 1910 but wouldn't grace the stage until 1919. Though neither brother donned a military uniform during World War I, both fervently championed Czech nationalism.
Independent Ventures and Theatrical Triumphs
The 1920s marked a period of creative divergence for the brothers. From 1921 to 1923, Karel took on the roles of stage director and dramaturg at Prague's Vinohrady Theatre, while Josef lent his artistic flair to design sets and costumes for various productions. Despite their individual pursuits, they united in crafting the celebrated play The Insect Play in 1921. Karel's dramatic masterpiece, R.U.R., which depicted humanity's perilous reliance on "Rossum’s Universal Robots," earned him international acclaim. Meanwhile, Josef pursued his playwriting independently, though with less renown, as seen in his 1923 work, The Land of Many Names.
Final Collaborations and Political Engagement
Their last joint theatrical creation, Adam the Creator, emerged in 1927, but the brothers continued to explore theatrical avenues independently thereafter. Karel took a hiatus from playwriting until the mid-1930s when his focus shifted to antifascism, culminating in his 1937 play The White Plague. During the early 1930s, Karel also penned significant novels, including the lauded War with the Newts (1936), authored travel books, and engaged in journalism and politics. Josef, sharing his brother's political inclinations, stood by Karel's side in their shared ideological battles.
Tragic Ends and Lasting Legacy
Due to Karel's chronic health struggles, including spinal calcification, he did not wed his long-time companion, actress and novelist Olga Scheinpfugová, until 1935. The Capek brothers' fervent political beliefs led them to vociferously oppose the Nazi regime following its occupation of Czechoslovakia. The intense pressure took its toll on Karel, who succumbed to pneumonia in Prague on December 25, 1938, narrowly escaping arrest. Josef, however, was captured by the Nazis and endured the horrors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he likely perished from typhus in 1945 after six years of captivity.
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