Jan Vodňanský (19 June 1941 – 10 March 2021) was a Czech writer, songwriter, singer and humorist. He was best known for his collaboration with musician Petr Skoumal.
Jan Vodňanský | |
|---|---|
 Jan Vodňanský in 2008 | |
| Born | 19 June 1941 Prague, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia |
| Died | 10 March 2021 (aged 79) |
| Nationality | Czech |
| Alma mater | Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Arts, Charles University |
Biography
editVodňanský was born on 19 June 1941 in Prague. He studied at Construction Faculty of the Czech Technical University, later he studied philosophy and history at Faculty of Arts, Charles University and obtained PhDr title. After his studies, he started working in radio and in 1964 he met composer and pianist Petr Skoumal, with whom he began to collaborate. After Vodňanský signed Charter 77 and became an enemy of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia, the duo had to stop working.[1][2]
After the breakup of the duo, Vodňanský worked in Bratislava and performed in programs for children. After the Velvet Revolution, he lectured philosophy at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, and performed in theatres and on foreign tours. He died on 10 March 2021, at the age of 79 from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic.[1][3]
Work
editPlaying with words and ironic humor were typical for Vodňanský's work. He started by writing texts based on absurd humor, he also wrote songs and texts for children. With Petr Skoumal he composed several songs for radio fairy tales and for films for children. The breakthrough was their full-length program in the Drama Club called S úsměvem idiota ("With an Idiot's Smile"), which was also published as an audio recording and as a book.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ a b "PhDr. Jan Vodňanský". Memory of Nations. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Zemřel spisovatel a písničkář Jan Vodňanský. Ležel v nemocnici s covidem" (in Czech). iDnes. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Ve věku 79 let zemřel na covid spisovatel, písničkář a signatář Charty 77 Jan Vodňanský" (in Czech). Czech Radio. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
