200 years ago
Božena Němcová was born
Probably born in Vienna in 1820, the Czech writer Barbora Novotná, better known by her pen name of Božena Němcová, was an author of poems, travel notes and short stories inspired by Czech traditions and folklore. A writer straddling the romantic movement and the naturalist movement, Němcová is considered the founder of modern Czech prose. She lived her childhood years with her maternal grandmother who would inspire the 1855 work that made her famous, “Babička”. In 1842 she had settled in Prague where, coming into contact with the cultural and patriotic circles linked to the Czech national revival movement, she participated in 1848 in the revolutionary movements against absolutist governments. Her political commitment caused her several problems and was persecuted by the police. In addition to her literary activity, Němcová had a difficult and eventful love life. Today, in homage to the famous writer, her image is shown on the Czech 500 crown banknotes.