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The poetry of Miroslav Válek is not difficult to assess, identify with, accept with reservations or, for any reason, to refuse. For what Válek did in poetry can only be compared to the poetical revolution of Janko Kráľ or Ivan Krasko. Before him, all sorts of modernism were used in an attempt to head the word into the international currents and the buzz of civilization, which took on afresh new openness towards both skepticism and idealism. poetry responded often with unintended byproducts, somewhat sleepy and at aloss, with atouch of traditionalism and the usual reluctance. Moreover, literature was then under theheavy spell of the omnipresent ideology spreading the illusion that enthusiasm and pathetic optimism can cure the illnesses of humanity and society, civilization and universe, both then and to-be. That was not true, andVálek’s poetry entered the scene of kitschy socialism with this very message. Miroslav Válek‘s robust poetical talent captured this in atruly robust manner. He introduced entirely new constellations of the Word, and made it capable of forming reality. Lyrical poetry ceased to be an ornament of feelings and emotions, and poetry became agenuine creative workshop, where the Unreal becomes real, the formless assumes assured proportions and the Unspeakable transforms into abreezy discussion with the most uncrackable mysteries of being. The unique talent gave birth to a tidal wave of poetry that was at odds with the omnipresent Orwellian wailing, but was the more so tied with the reason of an era that, once again, refused to be reasonable. Apoetry that found it programmatic not to give adamn about good manners, but the more so to test the conscience of its time. Apoetry informing the world, with aconfident voice, about the truths the world had hardly known. Apoetry tuned to the young, hence, defying aging. In this respect, Válek‘s poetry has not fallen to any significant fluctuations. From the beginning to the end, what was on was a mysterious drumming about the human being who – as aresult of too much faith – has misgivings about everything, who – loving too much – does not fantasize love, who does not hope for acheap mercy – knowing that, in its essence, humanity is ahope redeemed at significant cost.
That’s why Válek is apoet beyond reasonable doubt. In this, at least, rests the poetical justice clamored for in his poems.
Besides the uncontroversial qualities of his poetry, there is the highly controversial Miroslav Válek as a person. Like Ján Kollár, P.O. Hviezdoslav or Milo Urban, he, too, was the embodiment of his 20th century, his controversial era. Even if he chained himself to the cross, he still could not have unchained himself from its time. But then, he knew too well that man is a project for years, andhaving no chain in one’s time is afreedom less treasured. At least metaphorically and with abohemian sense of togetherness, he presided over the Trnava group of Concretists (Konkretisti) that accomplished the seemingly impossible transformation of poetry into asocially moving force, served as editor-in-chief of the cultish journal Mladá tvorba that became the deformer’s nightmare, was president of the Writers‘ Union that gave birth to the revivalist reformers, ending up as the Minister of Culture that, to say the least, cultivated the political atrocities of the so-called consolidation era. At the time when some were banned, others could not, and the rest were afraid, Válek the man was allowed to, could and was unafraid. An enlightened policymaker in the time chocked by debased politics, he managed to obtain more freedom than any common individual could have hoped for. In the stuffy air of the Normalization Period, his speeches and articles were eagerly awaited. Yet, Válek was usually the first to extend ahelping hand before being asked to do so by to those who had been adversely affected by the unfavorable times. He seems to have taken for granted to bring his own creeps on the market of the vanities of Normalization, while not succumbing to vain self-pity, although, amid the fearful, adaptable, ill-treated, irresponsible and powerful, he remained asolitary figure cobwebbed by intrigues. It is his shared merit that ia had less emigrants and dissidents than in the Czech part of the country. And it is also his accomplishment that culture has built its foundations that can hardly be undermined by any political or ideological storms.
So let those who can prove more brave and useful than him throw their stones. Those fearful and occasional winners would have little right to do so.
CZECH POET PETR SKARLANT ON MIROSLAV VÁLEK
In his modest output, Válek produced an extremelyingenious mixture of several poetics. Many of his metaphors are inspired by Jacques Prévert, the former surrealist. Both Touching (Dotyky, 1959) and Attraction (Príťažlivosť, 1961), have their share of the „poetry of common day“, as written and proclaimed, in the early 1960s, when the poetry had finally returned to its roots, by the group of poets around the Prague-based journal ěٱ. Válek puts things together, connects and mixes what has been seen as contradictory, making use of the difference and creating his poetics of contradictions. We find aMallarmé-like poem (intimate pure lyricism), fragments of Apollinaire’s Zone (the world’s rushing reality) anda Prévertian story (a history-cum-metaphor); all this transforms into Válek‘s capture of contradictions. Válek does not close his eyes to dream. He keeps them opened, to differentiate, to name things, to make see and understand that there are the invisible truths and that questions do arise. And that these truths are unearthed and these questions addressed by poetry alone.
Translated by Ľuben Urbánek
