There was a war all over the world and all over the world was grief. And yet I whispered into jewelled ears verses of love. It makes me feel ashamed. But no, not really.

He was one of the founders of the journal Devětsil. His poetry was awarded important state prizes in 1936 1955 and 1968 and in 1967 he was designated National Artist. Born in Žižkov a suburb of Prague in what was then part of Austria-Hungary his first collection of poems was publiJaroslav Seifertd in 1921.