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Arnošt Lustig

アルノシュト・ルスティーク

Arnošt Lustig

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1926-12-21 （Prague, Czechoslovakia）
Died
2011-02-26 （Prague, Czech Republic） age 84
Nationality
Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic
Languages
Czech, English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Prague (birth and final residence) → Tel Aviv / Israel (residence) → Washington, D.C. (residence / teaching) → Yugoslavia (temporary exile)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Playwright, Screenwriter, Journalist, University lecturer
Active Years
1950-2011
Affiliations
Radio Prague (employment), International Writing Program (participant), American University (faculty), Český PEN klub (related)
Memberships
Český PEN Club
Nominations
National Book Award (A Prayer for Katerina Horovitzowa, nominated) 1974

Education

Charles University (Prague)
Journalism
Period: 1945–1950（概略）
Year of Graduation: 1950
Country: Czechoslovakia
Studied journalism after World War II. Exact years vary by source.
University of Iowa (International Writing Program)
Period: 1970–1971（学術研究・招聘期間）
Country: United States
Scholar in the International Writing Program for the 1970–1971 academic year.

Awards

Franz Kafka Prize
2008
Organization: Franz Kafka Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Karel Čapek Prize
1996
Organization: Český PEN Club
Result: 受賞
National Jewish Book Award
1980
Work: Dita Saxová (Dita Saxova)
Organization: Jewish Book Council
Result: 受賞
National Jewish Book Award
1986
Work: The Unloved: From the Diary of Perla S.
Organization: Jewish Book Council
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Night and Hope

1957 Novel

A postwar novel dealing with survival and hope.

survivalpostwarhope
Adaptations
  • [Film] Transport from Paradise (based on Night and Hope) (1962)

Diamonds of the Night

1958 Short story / Collection

Contains the short story "Darkness Casts No Shadow"; collection includes Holocaust-related short fiction.

Holocaustescapememory
Adaptations
  • [Film] Diamonds of the Night (film) (1964)

Dita Saxová

1962 Novel

A novel about a Holocaust survivor; widely translated and award-winning.

Holocausttraumamemory and recovery
Translations
  • English translation (Dita Saxova)

A Prayer for Kateřina Horovitzová

1964 Novella / Short novel

A Holocaust-set tale and one of his best-known works; nominated for the National Book Award in 1974.

Holocaustmoral choicehumanity
Adaptations
  • [TV film] A Prayer for Katerina Horovitzova (TV film) (1965)

Lovely Green Eyes

2000 Novel

A later novel exploring personal memory and the impact of wartime experiences.

memoryfamilyeffects of war

The Unloved: From the Diary of Perla S.

1979 Novel / Diary-style fiction

A diary-style work; won the National Jewish Book Award in 1986.

recordlosssurvival

Bibliography

  • Night and Hope
  • Diamonds of the Night
  • Street of Lost Brothers
  • Dita Saxová
  • Transport from Paradise
  • A Prayer for Kateřina Horovitzová
  • The Bitter Smell of Almonds
  • The Unloved: From the Diary of Perla S.
  • Waiting for Leah
  • The House of Returned Echoes
  • Lovely Green Eyes

Adaptations

  • Transport from Paradise (1962, film based on Night and Hope)
  • Diamonds of the Night (1964, film adaptation)
  • A Prayer for Katerina Horovitzova (1965, TV film)
  • Dita Saxová (1967, film adaptation)
  • Fighter (2000, documentary)

Translations of Works

  • Dita Saxová — English translation (Dita Saxova)
  • A Prayer for Kateřina Horovitzová — English translation

Style & Themes

Literary Style
simple, testimonial proserealistoccasionally lyrical description
Recurring Motifs
Holocaust and survivalmemory and traumaethical dilemmas

Health

  • Hodgkin lymphoma
    2006–2011（およそ最後の5年間）
    Affected his health in later years; he underwent treatment during the final years of his life.

Legacy

A major Czech writer known for testimonial works about the Holocaust. Highly regarded domestically and internationally; many works have been adapted to film and he received several international literary awards.

Academic Societies

  • Český PEN Club
  • International Writing Program (associated)

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptations of several works (e.g., Diamonds of the Night)
  • Documentary about him: Fighter (2000)

Trivia

  • Sent to Theresienstadt in 1942 and later transported to Auschwitz and Buchenwald.
  • Escaped from a train bound for Dachau in 1945 after the locomotive was destroyed by an Allied attack.
  • Was given an apartment in Prague Castle by President Václav Havel in recognition of his contributions to Czech culture.
  • His wife Věra Weislitzová was interned in Terezín and wrote poems about her family's fate.