Background
Blatný, the son of the writer Lev Blatný, was a member of the Skupina 42 (Group 42 - association of Czechoslovakian modern artists).
Blatný, the son of the writer Lev Blatný, was a member of the Skupina 42 (Group 42 - association of Czechoslovakian modern artists).
In March 1948, after the communist seizure of power in his native country, Blatný left his country - just one of many figures in Czechoslovakian Literature who chose to emigrate rather than go underground.
However, he found life in exile difficult, as did many other émigré Czechoslovakian writers such as Ivan Diviš. During his subsequent life in the United Kingdom, he spent time in various mental hospitals. From 1984 until shortly before his death, he lived in a retirement home in Clacton-on-Sea.
A plaque commemorating his stay can be seen on the wall of the Edensor Care Home in Orwell Road.
His ashes were taken to the central cemetery in Brno. Nenik, Francis, The Marvel of Biographical Bookkeeping.
Translated from German by Katy Derbyshire, Readux Books 2013, Sample. Hejda, Zbyněk, "Passer-By: The Poetry of Ivan Blatný".
Metre 12 (Autumn 2002): 171-84.