When was Karel Čapek born and where did he grow up?
Karel Čapek was born on the 9th of January 1890 in the village of Malé Svatoňovice. His family moved to Úpice just six months after his birth.
Karel Čapek was born on the 9th of January 1890 in the village of Malé Svatoňovice. His family moved to Úpice just six months after his birth.
Josef Čapek suggested the term robot for the sentient androids in the play R.U.R. premiered in 1920. The word comes from robota which means corvée or serf labor in Czech.
Karel Čapek died from pneumonia on the 25th of December 1938 while repairing flood damage at his summer house in Stará Huť. He had caught a cold during this work before falling ill with the disease that claimed his life.
Karel Čapek became an outspoken anti-fascist by the mid-1930s and joined International PEN Club to establish the Czechoslovak branch. He criticized irrationalism human stupidity and the threat of brutal national socialist dictatorships.
Karel Čapek received seven nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature but never won the award despite global recognition. Several honors now bear his name including the Karel Čapek Prize given every other year by the Czech PEN Club.