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