Preslova street and namestí 14. rijna: Frantisek Langer

Where: On the corner of Preslova street and Náměstí 14. října (14th of October square) in Smichov, Prague 5. GPS 50.073166, 14.408125

What: It is a bust of Frantisek Langer with the text “In this house lived from 1945 to 1965 František Langer, writer”. The bust was created by Kurt Gebauer and was unveiled on the 2nd of August 1995.

Who: Frantisek Langer (3rd of March 1888 – 2nd of August 1965) was a physician and writer, and considered one of the best Czech dramatists of the interwar period.

As a physician Langer served in the Czechoslovak Legions in Russia during World War I. After the war, he served in the medical corps of the Czech army and continued his literary career. His most notable works are: Velbloud uchem jehly (1923; The Camel Through the Needle’s Eye), a comedy about lower-class life. Periferie (1925; “The Outskirts”), a psychological drama and  Jízdní hlídka (1935; “The Cavalry Watch”) which was based upon his experiences with the legion.

In 1939 Langer went to England and spent World War II as a member of the Czechoslovakian army abroad (brigade general). He only returned to his home after World War II. The postwar Communist government did not allow him to publish new work until the late 1950s.