Towards a Typology of Czech and Slovak Lyrical Poetry from the 1920s

Within literary comparative studies, inquiries into typological connections represent a markedly high level, primarily because the principle of comparing phenomena can be applied in its full spectrum, which includes dissimilarities. An overarching central European climate becomes clearly apparent when comparing the Czech and Slovak poetry of the 1920s (e.g., Březina, Hlaváček, Hviezdoslav, Lukáč, Novomeský, Smrek, Toman, Wolker). Czech movements such as Devětsil and Poetismus ran alongside the Slovaks' poetic naïveté, not unlike its Czech counterparts and their socially-engaged lyrics, as this developmental relationship was fostered in large part by the union of both nations' literatures. Set against the backdrop of a wider context, including French and American poetry, as well as Russian prose, this paper traces the highly international niche established by the Czech and Slovak lyrical schools.