Ota Pavel

Ota Pavel (born Otto Popper) (2 July 1930 in Prague – 31 March 1973 in
Ota Pavel
Prague) was a Czech writer, journalist and sport reporter. He is primarily an
author of autobiographical and biographical novels.

Contents
Biography
Work
Notes
References
External links

Biography Ota Pavel

Born Otto Popper
He was born in Prague as the third and youngest son of a Jewish father, Leo
2 July 1930
Popper, who was a travelling salesman, and a Czech Christian mother.[1][2] The Prague,
family celebrated both Jewish and Christian holidays.[1] Czechoslovakia
Died 31 March 1973
During World War II, his father and both his older brothers were imprisoned in
(aged 42)
Nazi concentration camps (his brother Jiří was imprisoned in Mauthausen).[3]
Prague,
Otto remained with their mother, in Buštěhrad. Young Otto briefly worked as a
Czechoslovakia
miner in the Kladno Region. Both brothers and father survived Nazi
Resting New Jewish
imprisonment and returned home after the end of the World War.[4] In 1960 Otto place Cemetery, Prague
graduated at the Střední škola pro pracující (High School for Workers).
Occupation Writer, journalist,
He was an enthusiastic hockey player and played on the junior team of HC sport reporter
Sparta Praha, but his hopes for a professional ice-hockey career were dashed by Nationality Czech
a serious illness and tonsillectomy.[5] He stayed on with Sparta for a short time Notable Jak jsem potkal ryby
to train its junior team. In 1949 his close friend Arnošt Lustig recommended him works ('How I Came to
to concentrate on writing, and as a result, Popper was engaged as a sports Know Fish')
reporter by Czechoslovak Radio.[6] In 1955 he changed his name to Ota Pavel.[7] Zlatí úhoři (Golden
From 1956 to 1957 he was a sports reporter for the journal Stadion (Stadium), Eels)
Smrt krásných srnců
then contributed for a few years to the army journal Československý voják
(Czechoslovak Soldier). His first literary attempts (mainly short sport-related
feuilletons) were published in Stadion.

His work as a journalist took him to the Soviet Union. He was also allowed to travel to Western countries, including France and
Switzerland. In 1962 he visited the United States with the Czech football team Dukla Prague.

During the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck he showed signs of the mental illness that would later end his official journalistic
career. He later described the episode in his book "Jak jsem potkal ryby":
 "I went mad at the winter Olympics in Innsbruck. My brain got cloudy, as if a fog from the Alps had enveloped it.
In that condition I came face to face with one gentleman - the Devil. He looked the part! He had hooves, fur,
horns, and rotten teeth that looked hundreds of years old. With this figure in my mind I climbed the hills above
Innsbruck and torched a farm building. I was convinced that only a brilliant bonfire could burn off that fog. As I
was leading the cows and horses from the barn, the Austrian police arrived..."[6]

Following this he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.[8] In 1966 the effects of this disease led to his retirement and thereafter
several admissions to mental hospitals for treatment. This difficult period in his life was also his most creative, in which he
produced his strongest and most lyrical collections, including How I Came to Know Fish.

Ota Pavel's work was focused on sports, especially fishing. Some of his works were adapted for the film: Zlatí úhoři (Golden
Eels) (starring Vladimír Menšík) and Smrt krásných srnců.

Two of his books, Golden Eels and How I Came to Know Fish were translated into English.[9][10]

In 1973 Ota Pavel died of a sudden heart attack caused by an unknown condition. He was 42 years old.[11] He is buried at the
New Jewish cemetery in Prague-Žižkov, next to his father.

Work
Hory a lidé, 1964 – book of photographs by Vilém Heckel, Pavel was
the author of text
Dukla mezi mrakodrapy, 1964 – sport theme, about the success of
the Czech football team Dukla Praha in USA.
Plná bedna šampaňského, 1967 – short stories
Cena vítězství, 1968 – anthology
Pohár od Pánaboha, 1971
Smrt krásných srnců, 1971 – memoirs of childhood and youth
Syn celerového krále, 1972 – 16 short stories about famous
sportsmen
Jak jsem potkal ryby, 1974 – memoirs Buštěhrad museum of Ota Pavel
Pohádka o Raškovi, 1974 – "sport fairytale", inspired by the success
of the Czech ski jumper Jiří Raška
Published posthumously:

Fialový poustevník, 1977

Sedm deka zlata, 1980
Veliký vodní tulák, 1980 – anthology
Zlatí úhoři (Golden Eels), 1985, new edition 1991
Výstup na Eiger, 1989
Mám rád tu řeku, 1989
Jak šel táta Afrikou: Povídky, 1994 - short stories
Omyl a jiné povídky, 1995 - short stories
Olympijské hry a jiné povídky, 1996 - short stories

Notes
1. Weizmann, Kobi (2015). "Yedies fun varshe: Der yidisher teater shpilt Ota Pavels verk (http://yiddish.forward.co
m/articles/191321/news-from-warsaw/)." [News from Warsaw: The Jewish Theater produces Ota Pavel's work]
(in Yiddish). Forverts (The YIddish Forward). Published online October 1, 2015; in print, October 30, 2015. Online
version retrieved 2015-10-03.
 2. Pojar, Milos. "Pavel, Ota." Encyclopaedia Judaica. 2nd ed. Vol. 15. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. p.
698.
3. Růžičková (2008), p. 63.
4. Růžičková (2008), p. 62-63.
5. Růžičková (2008), p. 72.
6. Jan Velinger (2003-04-16). "Bittersweet prose - a look at the life and work of writer Ota Pavel" (http://www.radio.c
z/en/article/39748). Czech Radio Prague. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
7. Růžičková (2008), p. 87.
8. Růžičková (2008), p. 109.
9. "How I Came to Know Fish" (http://www.librarything.com/work/477264). LibraryThing.org. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
10. "Golden Eels" (http://www.librarything.com/work/4109888). LibraryThing.org. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
11. "Příběhy slavných... Ota Pavel – 85 let: Jak jsem se zbláznil — Česká televize" (http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/pora
dy/10123383458-pribehy-slavnych/401223100031006-jak-jsem-se-zblaznil/). Česká televize. Retrieved
2016-02-24.

References
Růžičková, Martina (2008). Ota Pavel - osobnost dvou tváří (in Czech). Petrklíč. ISBN 978-80-7229-200-4.
Lustig, Arnošt (2003). Okamžiky, Arnošt Lustig vzpomíná na Otu Pavla (in Czech). Zvole u Prahy: Andrej
Šťastný.

External links
Johnston, Rosie (June 2, 2005). "Golden Eels and Long Ordeals: The life and times of Ota Pavel (http://www.radi
o.cz/en/article/63092)." Radio Praha
Ota Pavel - English profile (http://www.vitejte.cz/objekt.php?oid=4462&j=en)
Buštěhrad museum of Ota Pavel (http://www.bustehrad.cz)
Ota Pavel - official website (http://www.otapavel.cz)

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This page was last edited on 25 November 2018, at 00:29 (UTC).

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