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Hovudpersonen

The Good Soldier Švejk

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Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie leave the Sarajevo Town Hall on 28 June 1914, five minutes before the assassination.

The Good Soldier Švejk is a novel with an unusually rich array of characters. In addition to the many who directly form part of the plot, a large number of fictional and real people (and animals) are mentioned; either through the narrative, Švejk's anecdotes, or indirectly through words and expressions.

This web page contains short write-ups on the people that the novel refers to; from Napoléon in the introduction to Hauptmann Ságner in the last few lines of the unfinished Part Four. The list is sorted in the order of which the names first appear. The chapter headlines are from Zenny Sadlon's recent translation (2000-2009) and will in most cases differ from Cecil Parrott's version from 1973.

The quotes in Czech are copied from the on-line version of The Good Soldier Švejk: provided by Jaroslav Šerák and contain links to the relevant chapter. The toolbar has links for direct access to Wikipedia, Google maps, Google search, svejkmuseum.cz and the novel on-line.

The names are coloured according to their role in the novel, illustrated by the following examples:

  • Dr. Grünstein as a fictional character who is directly involved in the plot.
  • Fähnrich Dauerling as a fictional character who is not part of the plot.
  • Heinrich Heine as a historical person.

Note that a number of seemingly fictional characters are inspired by living persons. Examples are Oberleutnant Lukáš, Major Wenzl and many others. This are still listed as fictional because they are literary creations that are only partly inspired by their like-sounding "models".

Military ranks and some other titles related to Austrian officialdom are given in German, and in line with the terms used at the time (explanations in English are provided as tooltips). This means that Captain Ságner is still referred to as Hauptmann although the term is now obsolete, having been replaced by Kapitän. Civilian titles denoting profession etc. are translated into English. This also goes for ranks in the nobility, at least where a direct translation exists.

People index of people, mythical figures, animals ... (588) Show all
I. In the rear
II. At the front
III. The famous thrashing
Index Back Forward I. In the rear Hovudpersonen

9. Švejk in the garrison prison

Mr. Klíma, Jaroslavnn flag
*13.2.1879 Kostelec nad Černými lesy - †5.5 1927 Menton
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klima.jpg

Album representantů všech oborů veřejného života československého,1927

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Rovnost,13.7.1923

Klíma is mentioned by the author when he writes about policemen in the Austrian power structure who kept their positions in the new Czechoslovakia.

Background

Klíma was a lawyer and high commissioner in Staatspolizei whose career was very similar to that of Mr. Slavíček. According to Václav Menger he was the policeman who interrogated Jaroslav Hašek after the famous incident at U Valšů in November 1914, where Hašek pretended to be a trader from Russia. Klíma features Hašek's story Kolik kdo má kolem krku[a].

In Czechoslovakia he continued to serve in the police but was like his colleague "exiled" to Slovakia. In 1927 he fell ill with complications from the Spanish flu, was sent abroad for recuperation, but died soon after, at the age of 48. He was succeeded as Bratislava police chief by Mr. Slavíček.

The Good Soldier Švejk in Captivity

In Dobrý voják Švejk v zajetí he also has a more prominent position than in the novel as he personally leads the interrogation of Švejk at c.k. policejní ředitelství.[1]

Za pět minut nato Švejk, sedě na vozíku, byl s učedníkem jediným civilistou mezi mořem policejních uniforem. Právě se setkal u jeho vozíčku policejní komisař Klima s inspektorem jízdní policie Klausem. "Dobrý lov," pozdravil Klima. "Dobrý lov," odpověděl Klaus.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] Státní policie dodávala také na garnison materiál, pánové Klíma, Slavíček & Comp. Vojenská censura dopravovala sem autory korespondence mezi frontou a těmi, které doma zanechali v zoufalství. Sem vodili četníci i staré výměnkáře, kteří posílali psaní na frontu, a vojenský soud házel jim na krk za jich slova útěchy a líčení bídy domácí po dvanácti letech.
Literature
References
aKolik kdo má kolem krkuČechoslovanJaroslav Hašek19.2.1917
1Dobrý voják Švejk v zajetíJaroslav Hašek1917
Mr. Slavíček, Karelnn flag
*23.1.1874 Vodňany - †21.10.1929 Bratislava
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slavicek_nek.png

Expres,21.10.1929

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Čechoslovan,19.2.1917

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Sebrané spisy Jaroslava Haška,1925

Slavíček is mentioned when the author informs that Mr. Klíma and Slavíček were still working for the state police in the new Czechoslovak Republic.

Background

Slavíček was a police officer, lawyer and civil servant in Staatspolizei where he was employed from 1900 until 1918. He held a degree in law from Universita Karlova and joined the police when he was 26. His career progressed rapidly within the security police where he also came across Jaroslav Hašek, for instance after the famous episode at U Valšů on 24 November 1914. He was promoted to commissioner in 1909, to high commissioner in 1913 and in 1915 he succeeded Viktor Chum as head of the state police in Prague.

Slavíček was married to Bohumila (born Vaníčková in 1884) and in 1912 the couple had one child, Karel (born in 1905).

Serving Czechoslovakia

Slavíček was investigated by the new Czechoslovak authorities in 1919, but was allowed to continue in the police, albeit in "exile" in Bratislava. Here he played a major part in organising and "demagyarizing" the police in Slovakia. From 1923 he was stationed in Košice. From 1927 he was back in Bratislava as Police Director (head of the police). Two years later he suddenly died from a stroke, at the age of 55.

Changed spelling

In Hašek's story Kolik kdo má kolem krku Slavíček and Mr. Klíma arrested Kramář and Klofáč and sent them on to Vienna. The author additionally relates from his own encounter with them during a house search at the end of 1914[a]. When this story appeared in Sebrane spisy in 1925 Slavíček had been renamed Klabíček and Klima became Slíva. But in the original printed in Čechoslovan on 19 February 1917 the author used their real names!

It appears obvious that publisher Adolf Synek or editor Antonín Dolenský didn't want to offend the two policemen who were still alive and held important positions in the police in Slovakia. Perhaps they feared a law-suit? In Spisy Jaroslava Haška from 1973 the rewritten names are still not corrected, so the editors had obviously not read Čechoslovan too closely. A certain commissioner Knotek was renamed Snopek.

The Good Soldier Švejk in Captivity

Slavíček is given a more prominent place in Dobrý voják Švejk v zajetí where he interrogates Švejk in person. The author also dishes out a thinly veiled death threat: he knows that Slavíček and Mr. Klíma live near Riegrové sady and that in this park there are trees with branches strong enough to carry their weight.[1]

Za pět minut nato Švejk, sedě na vozíku, byl s učedníkem jediným civilistou mezi mořem policejních uniforem. Právě se setkal u jeho vozíčku policejní komisař Klima s inspektorem jízdní policie Klausem. "Dobrý lov," pozdravil Klima. "Dobrý lov," odpověděl Klaus.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] Státní policie dodávala také na garnison materiál, pánové Klíma, Slavíček & Comp. Vojenská censura dopravovala sem autory korespondence mezi frontou a těmi, které doma zanechali v zoufalství. Sem vodili četníci i staré výměnkáře, kteří posílali psaní na frontu, a vojenský soud házel jim na krk za jich slova útěchy a líčení bídy domácí po dvanácti letech.>

Credit: Jaroslav Šerák, Zdeněk Kárník

Literature
References
aKolik kdo má kolem krkuČechoslovanJaroslav Hašek19.2.1917
1Dobrý voják Švejk v zajetíJaroslav Hašek1917
Stabsprofus Slavíknn flag
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slavik.jpg

České slovo, 16.12.1923

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Naše revoluce,23.10.1936

Slavík was a brutal "stabsprofus" (staff guard) at the garrison jail at Hradčany. He was the first who received Švejk in the prison and was also present at the Holy Mess in the jail chapel, served by Feldkurat Katz for the prisoners. Slavík was imprisoned for theft after the war.

Background

Slavík is described as a real person, but it has not been possible to determine who the author had in mind. In 1906 there were two "stabsprofus" at the prison: Jan Frkal and Josef Bureš. Otherwise Slavík is a very common surname, and amongst the many entries in the address books from 1907, 1910 and 1924 there is no obvious candidate.

Josef Slavík

In the book Sokolské rolničky by dr. Josef Slavík, member of Sokol and later the Legions, it is revealed that he personally met Jaroslav Hašek i Volhynia while serving in the company of Oberleutnant Lukáš (sic)[a]. It is suggested that it was from him that Hašek borrowed the name, but the only thing that is certain is that he had nothing to do with the brutal prison guard. Logically speaking such a meeting could only have occured in September 1915.

The Good Soldier Švejk in Captivity

The name Slavík appears also in Dobrý voják Švejk v zajetí, but here assigned to a court medic at c.k. zemský co trestní soud. This medic is easily identifiable from the address book of 1907 as MUDR. Vladimír Slavík, a university professor from Vinohrady.[1]

Dr. Slavík hájil názor, že člověk může náhle zblbnout a že není přitom vědom svých činů. "To mohu říci sám ze zkušenosti," pravil, "po své dlouholeté soudní praxi." Pak přinesli soudním lékařům od Brejšky snídani a lékaři při smažených kotletách se usnesli, že v případě Švejkově jde opravdu o těžký případ vleklé poruchy mysli. Dr. Slavík chtěl ještě něco říci, pak si to ale rozmyslil a objednal si ještě čtvrtku vína a podepsal též soudní nález lékařský.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] Je úplně přirozené, že štábní profous Slavík, když přejímal Švejka, vrhl na něho pohled plný němé výčitky:„I ty máš porouchanou pověst, že jsi se dostal až sem mezi nás? My ti, chlapečku, pobyt zde osladíme, jako všem, kteří upadli v naše ruce, a ty naše ruce nejsou nějaké dámské ručky.“ Aby pak dodal váhy svému pohledu, přiložil svou svalnatou, tlustou pěst Švejkovi pod nos a řekl: „Čichni si, lumpe!“ Švejk si čichl a poznamenal: „S tou bych nechtěl dostat do nosu, to voní hřbitovem.“
Literature
References
aJosef SlavíkNaše revoluce23.10.1936
1Dobrý voják Švejk v zajetíJaroslav Hašek1917
Feldwebel Řepann flag
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Řepa was a sergeant at Posádková věznice (the garrison jail) - a torturer with many lives on his conscience. His specialty was breaking the ribs of prisoners by jumping on them. He was also called "the executioner". Feldwebel Řepa returned to his profession as bricklayer after the war and the author suggests that he may even be a member of some patriotic society.

Background

It has not been possible to pin-point any real life individual that might have inspired the author's creation of this character.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] A v garnisoně trojice: štábní profous Slavík, hejtman Linhart a šikovatel Řepa, přezdívaný též „kat“, vykonávali již svou úlohu. Kolik jich umlátili v samovazbě!
[I.9] Řepa se vrátil do civilu a vykonává dál své zaměstnání zednického mistra. Může být, že je členem vlasteneckých spolků v republice.
Hauptmann Linhartnn flag
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Linhart was a captain at Posádková věznice (the garrison prison), but little involved in the plot apart from a less than cordial phone conversation with Auditor Bernis about Švejk's documents.

Background

This is another character without an identifiable real life model. One Karel Linhart served in the police in Smíchov (Jaroslav Hašek lived here in 1910-11) but the connection to the literary figure is difficult to established although it is likely that Hašek knew or knew about him. Linhart was a very common name in Prague and the author may have known about several of them. Another Linhart was active in the Czech indepence movement during World War I. This was a person Hašek would have been aware of and may have borrowed the surname from.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] A v garnisoně trojice: štábní profous Slavík, hejtman Linhart a šikovatel Řepa, přezdívaný též „kat“, vykonávali již svou úlohu. Kolik jich umlátili v samovazbě!
Feldkurat Katz, Ottonn flag
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katz.jpg
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A. Sauer a J. Čermák, 1921

Katz is mentioned 42 times in The Good Soldier Švejk.

Katz was a field chaplain at the garrison in Prague and no doubt one of the most famous characters in the novel. He was of Jewish origin but converted to the Roman-Catholic church. Otto Katz was a notorious drunkard and with questionable moral, but a colourful and intelligent person who the author clearly has some sympathy for.

Katz is the only one of Švejk's superiors who never shouts or swears at him. The field chaplain plays a pivotal role in this ([I.10]) and the next four chapters. He saved Švejk from the garrison prison by taking him on as an officer's servant and the soldier largely enjoyed good times when serving Katz. Together they served field masses, provided the last rites, took part on the same side in a religious debate, and consumed whatever alcohol they could get their hands on. This blissful existence ended miserably in [I.14] where Katz gambled away his servant to obrjlajtnant Oberleutnant Lukáš in a game of cards.

The author provides a number of biographical details on Otto Katz. It is revealed that he had studied at some commercial academy, served in k.u.k. Heer as a one-year volunteer, inherited his father's trading company Katz a spol., and drove it to bankruptcy within a year. His father settled with the creditors behind closed doors and emigrated to North America leaving his son with nothing to inherit.

Thus Otto Katz saw no other option but to enlist in the army as a professional. Before that he had the brilliant idea to convert to the Roman-Catholic church, and was baptised by páter Alban (páter Albán) in Emauzský klášter. His entry exam as an officer was successful, so he continued in the army and even planned to enlist in a staff course.

But one sunny day he got drunk and exchanged the sword with the cassock. He studied for priest at the Archbishop's seminary (see Seminář) and was ordained. After completing his studies and being ordained, he turned back to the amrmy. At his old regiment he obtained the rank that eventually made him famous.

As a field chaplain he worked in Prague and lived in Královská třída in Karlín. It is not known at which unit he served as the author merely informs that he was assigned to one regiment. He bought a horse, lived a debaucherous life with card games, drink and prostitutes, often on borrowed money that he never intended to pay back. Amongst the officers in his regiment he was known as "Holy Father".

Otto Katz disappears from the story after the disastrous gambling event, but is mentioned by the author in the epilogue to Part One. Here it is revealed that he had lived through the war unhurt, had left the church after the war, and had become a "prokurista" (agent) at a paint factory in North Bohemia. He wrote the author an angry and threatening letter after having read about himself in the translation of one of the chapters in a certain German newspaper. The two still met, were reconciled, and it turned out that his drinking habits of the former field chaplain hadn't changed one bit.

During the remainder of the novel his name reappears a few times, but now in the stories that Švejk entertains his fellow soldiers with.

Background

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Any obvious model fro Otto Katz has so far been impossible to pinpoint. At least four persons with this name lived in Prague in 1910 and are possible inspirations, but notably in his role as namesake, Jew and trader, but not as a field chaplain. At least three of them ran their own companies during Hašek's lifetime and were also Jews, so we are going to limit the investigation to these.

To find a prototype for Katz has on the other hand been futile. Not a single person with the surname Katz is listed as a cleric in k.u.k. Heer in 1914, so if any real field chaplain has inspired the author he must have carried a very different name.[a]

Augustin Knesl's research
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Augustin Knesl, Večerní Praha, 1983

In the series Josef Švejk a ti druzí, published in Večerní Praha in 1983, Augustin Knesl identifies an Otto Katz who he claims was the inspiration for Hašek's Katz. This person was born in 1864 in Prague, son of Leopold. He studied at the Obchodní akademie and Knesl provides many details about his years at the academy, including his marks who his teachers were.

Then the years after Otto Katz graduated in 1881 and until 1920 are left blank apart from the "literary facts" that Knesl without reservations borrows from the novel. His next step are some adverts for a firm in Celetná ulice 14, Staré město. These were printed in České slovo in 1920 and 1921. Knesl also notes that the firm appeared to have closed down in January 1923. Combining this with the information from the novel, he concludes that Katz went bankrupt twice. He has obviously not considered that there could have been more than one firm named Otto Katz in Prague.

Rapeseed oil in Libeň
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Adresář Praha, 1910

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The house where Otto was born

Recent investigations in newspapers and police records reveal that a certain Otto Katz was the co-owner of a company that manufactured oil from vegetables. This enterprise was located in Královská třída in Libeň and operated from 1893 until at least 1899. By 1902 the company was not listed anymore but Otto Katz still owned the premises. A curious link to the novel is the street where the firm was located. The literary field chaplain and the real life factory owner both lived in Královská třída, albeit at opposite ends.

It can now be concluded that the oil manufacturer in Libeň (in some documents named Otta) was indeed identical to the man Knesl mentioned[b]. He was born 6 December 1864 in Prague, of Jewish confession, son of Leopold and Matylda. He married Marie Moravetz in 1894, which rules out that he ever was a Catholic priest.

On 1 March 1893 he and Josef Gross from Karlín registered the company Grossmann a Katz, manufacturer of rapeseed oil. In 1896 Otto Katz is listed as the sole proprietor and in 1899 an advert confirms the existence of the firm. The advert is however not for oil, but for some furniture, so it might have been a closing down sale. In 1902 Otto Katz is listed as the owner of the same property (Královská třída 358) but there is no mention of any firm or factory anymore. This year he lives in Podskalská ul. in Praha II., indeed very close to the Obchodní akademie where Jaroslav Hašek studied from 1899 to 1902.

In the 1910 address book he is listed again, now as "disponent" and house owner. He is also chairman of the Association of Czech rapeseed oil producers. His address is now Hybernská 40 and he had lived here at least since 1905. In 1915 Katz was still married, and still recorded with "Israelite confession", so as opposed to his literary counterpart he never converted. As late as 1932 he still owned the property in Libeň. Katz died on 16 June 1935 and his wife Marie was in 1942 deported by the Nazis and murdered in Treblinka (Jaroslav Šerák).

Leopold Katz

According to the novel Katz's father was the owner of a trading company. The real Leopold Katz, born in Poděbrady in 1831, died 22 April 1909, indeed ran his own firm, but traded in leather. He passed away in Prague so it is unlikely that he ever emigrated to North America. Nor is there any trace of any Leopold Katz from Prague in the passenger lists for New York arrivals. Moreover we have seen no evidence that his son Otto ever inherited the company or that it went broke. When Otto Katz was born the family lived at Pořící (Praha II., č.p.1071).

Sewing and embroidery

The address book from 1910 lists another Otto Katz who ran his own company. By comparing police records and address books we know that one Otto Katz from Sedlec lived in Ferdinandova tř. 25 in 1910, and ran a sewing and embroidery enterprise. He was married to Božena who converted to Jewish confession when they married. In 1913 he is registered in Staré město No. 387 (Provaznická 2). His name appears here as late as 1916.

A flood of adverts
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Budweiser Zeitung, 7.2.1919

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Národní politika,27.2.1921

The third firm was a weaver and linen manufacturer in Celetná ulice 14 and is no doubt the firm that Knesl refers to in regards to the adverts in 1920. It existed at least from January 1918 when it advertised aprons in Lidové noviny, and may have operated already in 1916, but in Josefovská ulice in Josefov (this address also appears in adverts from 1918).

From 1918 the firm often advertised in the newspapers, particularly in 1920 and 1921, including during spring and summer 1921 when the author introduced Otto Katz for his readers. Jaroslav Hašek may well have noticed these as he eagerly read newspapers, including the adverts. Otto Katz advertised in regional and national newspapers, and even abroad. They were also seen in German-language newspapers like Budweiser Zeitung and Dorfsbote, and in Slovenia's Maribor Zeitung. Prager Tagblatt reported on 28 November 1922 that a fire damaged the store on the 2nd floor and in a note in Lidové noviny 25 January 1923 it is revealed that the firm had gone broke, information that fits well with Knesl's version. In 1924 the firms property was auctioned off.

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Prager Presse,13.6.1924

The identity of this Otto Katz is somewhat unclear. At first glance he seems to have been born in 1870 in Sedlec (link B). He specialised in embroidery, also on an industrial scale, but the information from the address book entry from 1924 shows him and the factory owner in Celetná ul. as different people (it might be an error in the address book). Several others named Otto Katz lived in Prague, some of them potential factory owners by 1918. One of them was born in 1886 and is listed as obchodník (trader) in 1915 and lived in Praha I./čp. 920.

Fraudster in uniform
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Národní listy,7.4.1915

In April 1915 newspapers reported on a certain Otto Katz from Plzeň who defrauded a number of hotels while dressed in the uniform of a Fähnrich. That Jaroslav Hašek read the story is quite likely as he was marod (ill) in Budějovice at the time (and he was an avid newspaper reader). We also know that snippets from newspaper from this period appear elsewhere in the novel. The story may thus have lent drops of inspiration to Otto Katz (negligence of financial duties and visit to brothels), but this is mere speculation.

"Field chaplain" Mojžíš
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A most unlikely model for Katz

In Jaroslav Hašek und sein „braver Soldat“ Schwejk, (2011) Jan Berwid-Buquoy claims that the model of Katz was Lev Mojžíš, "a cleric from Břevnov and notorious drunkard". His servant in Prague towards the end of the war was allegedly Zdeněk Matěj Kuděj, one of Jaroslav Hašek's closest friends.

That the chaplain Leo Josef Mojžíš actually lived is beyond dispute. He was born in Česká Skalice on 1 April 1863, served at Břevnovský klášter from 1888 until 1920, and at the parish at Bílá Hora from 1924 to 1948. Newspaper clips during the war always refer to him as a priest from Břevnov, but never as a military chaplain. Apart from the name there is no indication that he was of Jewish origin and he survived the Nazi occupation (died 1 May 1948). One point from Berwid-Buquoy's book is however worth recognising: that Zdeněk Matěj Kuděj from his experiences with Militärgeistlichkeit may have inspired Hašek when he created his military chaplains.

Mojžíš is not mentioned in the unpublished memoirs from Kuděj, who never mentions serving any field chaplain in Prague. He did however served at Militärgeistlichkeit, but not as an officer's servant. In 1918 he worked in the offices the field bishop in Vienna, writing death certificates. Here he simulated a nervous breakdown after a serious clash with a superior. He then returned to his regiment in Beroun and Rumburk, and was in Litoměřice around 25 July 1918 given a year's sick leave. He returned to Praha but fell ill for real and spent three months in hospital in the clinic of Dr Thomayer. The information from Jan Berwid-Buquoy that Kuděj served "field chaplain Mojžíš" in Praha can therefore not be true and appears to be based on hearsay

Considering his age it is unlikely that Mojžíš was drafted as a field chaplain, and Schematismus from 1914 can confirm that he didn't serve in k.u.k. Heer and he doesn't even appear in the list of reserve field chaplains. Schematismus does however list another reserve field chaplain with a Jewish sounding surname: Jan Mojžíš. This one actually served in Budějovice and Jaroslav Hašek is likely to have been aware of him so he could, at least in theory, have lent a trait or two to Katz.

An unclear picture
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Feldkurat Stephan Dean had a disciplinary record that would have made Otto Katz proud.

© ÖStA

As opposed to his colleagues Feldoberkurat Lacina and to a lesser extent Feldoberkurat Ibl, Katz has no obvious real life prototype. Otto Katz as a Jewish merchant may have a few plausible models, Katz as an army cleric no-one that springs to mind. In 1914 there was, according to Schematismus[a], not a single army cleric called Katz in k.u.k. Heer.

Some of the field chaplain's less admirable traits may even hail from Hašek himself: cynicism, alcoholism and a tendency to shirk financial obligations. It is obvious that Katz is Hašek's main instrument in his mocking of the Catholic church and military clergy, and that inspiration has been drawn from many sources (including the author's vivid imagination) to create this grotesque but interesting figure.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] Potom ještě to kázání, ta zábava a legrace. Polní kurát Otto Katz byl přece jen roztomilý člověk. Jeho kázání byla neobyčejně poutavá, legračná, osvěžující tu nudu garnisonu. Uměl tak krásně žvanit o neskonalé milosti boží, sílit zpustlé vězně a muže zneuctěné. Uměl tak krásně vynadat od kazatelny i od oltáře. Uměl tak báječně řvát u oltáře své: „Ite, missa est“, celé bohoslužby provést originelním způsobem a přeházet celý pořádek mše svaté, vymyslit, si, když už byl hodně opilý, úplně nové modlitby a novou mši svatou, svůj ritus, něco, co zde ještě nebylo.
[I.16] Potom je Otto Katz je též na živu. Je to skutečná figurka polního kuráta. Hodil to všechno po převratě na hřebík, vystoupil z církve, dělá dnes prokuristu v jedné továrně na bronz a barviva v severních Čechách. Psal mi dlouhý dopis, ve kterém vyhrožuje, že si to se mnou spořádá. Jeden německý list přinesl totiž překlad jedné kapitoly, kde je vylíčen, jak skutečně vypadal. Navštívil jsem ho tedy a dopadlo to s ním velice dobře. Ve dvě hodiny v noci nemohl stát na nohou, ale kázal a říkal: „Já jsem Otto Katz, polní kurát, vy gypsové hlavy.“ště to kázání, ta zábava a legrace.
[II.3] Já jsem sloužil u feldkuráta Katze a ten by byl propil nos mezi očima.
[II.3] Můj feldkurát Katz, ten když se vožral, tak se ve spaní necítil. Jednou vám..." A Švejk počal vypravovat své zkušenosti s polním kurátem Otto Katzem tak podrobné a zajímavě, že ani nepozorovali, že se vlak hnul.

Credit: Jaroslav Šerák, Augustin Knesl, Václav Petera, Jan Berwid-Buquoy

Literature
References
aSchematismus für das k.u.k. Heer (s. 181)K.k. Hof und Staatsdruckerei1914
b69 - 1864 - Katz OttoSoupis pražských domovských příslušníků 1830-1910
Archbishop Kohn, Theodornn flag
*22.3.1845 Březnice - †3.12.1915 Ehrenhausen
Wikipedia czde Search Švejkův slovník
kohn.jpg

Das interessante Blatt,16.12.1915

kohn1.png

Národní politika,9.11.1892

kohntot.png

Wiener Zeitung,4.12.1915

Kohn is given as an example of someone who was a Jew like Feldkurat Katz but added that this in itself was not very important. The author of The Good Soldier Švejk also states that Kohn was a friend of Machar. Moreover, he informs that Katz had an even more colourful past than the famous archbishop.

Background

Kohn was a professor of church law and theology and between 1892 and 1904 archbishop of Olomouc. He was of Jewish descent but his grandfather had converted to Catholicism. The family were Czech-speaking and of humble origins but thanks to grants the gifted and diligent young man got a good education and was consecrated as a priest in 1871. After serving in various parishes, holding positions at the University of Olomouc and at the city's archdiocese, he was finally elected archbishop in 1892. He was the first non-noble to hold the seat in 300 years, and his election was therefore popular amongst the general population, and particularly the Czechs.

Kohn gradually fell out with parts of the Catholic Church hierarchy. He was, for instance, not well thought of in Vienna due to his common and Jewish background. Kohn notes in his autobiography that Eduard Taaffe, the Minister-President in Cisleithania made the following comment about his election as archbishop: Und hat er sich schon getauft lassen? (And has he already had himself baptised?)

Kohn was a capable administrator and the economy of the archdiocese improved, but soon revealed himself as headstrong and even despotic, and often took disciplinary measures against those he believed undermined him. He was increasingly criticised, also in the press, and after the so-called Rectus affair in 1903, he was called to Rome for a consultation with the Pope. The case even reached Reichsrat. In this particular controversy, Kohn had sued a man based on a critical anonymous letter to the newspaper Rectus, but it soon became obvious that he had accused the wrong person.

He was summoned to Rome and the Pope asked Kohn to give up his position, and in 1904 he bowed to the pressure. He moved to the castle Ehrenhausen in Styria where he spent the rest of his life and dedicated his time to scientific studies. In his will, he left parts of his fortune to the Czech university in Brno.

Support from J. S. Machar

It was at the height of this affair that Kohn received support from an unexpected direction - from the strongly anti-clerical writer Machar. On 5 May 1903, he wrote a long article that was printed in Die Zeit, a newspaper in Vienna that already had written about Kohn[a]. In 1909 the two were involved in another controversy: Kohn received a visit from the above-mentioned Machar in Ehrenhausen and the news caused a stir despite attempts by the former archbishop to be discrete about the visit.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] Polní kurát Otto Katz, nejdokonalejší vojenský kněz, byl žid. To ostatně není nic divného. Arcibiskup Kohn byl také žid a ještě dokonce Macharův kamarád. Polní kurát Otto Katz měl ještě pestřejší minulost než slavný arcibiskup Kohn.

Credit: Jitka Jonová

Literature
References
aErzbischof KohnDie Zeit3.5.1903
Machar, Josef Svatopluknn flag
*29.2.1864 Kolín - †17.3.1942 Praha
Wikipedia czdeen Search Švejkův slovník
machar.jpg

Český svět, 14.10.1910

kohnpucflek.png

Machar is mentioned by Jaroslav Hašek as a friend of Archbishop Kohn.

Background

Machar was a Czech poet and satirist. He was like Jaroslav Hašek strongly anti-Austrian, anti-clerical and a master in the use of colloquial Czech. He was for a while one of the favourites of Professor Masaryk, member of his Realist Party and contributed to the party newspaper Čas. After the war he fell out with the president and oriented himself towards the political far right.

The friendship with Archbishop Kohn that the author refers to is probably based on events in 1903 at the height of so-called Rectus affair when controversy around Kohn reached a critical point. Machar defended the archbishop in a newspaper article in Die Zeit, printed on 5 May 1903. He also visited the now deposed Kohn in Ehrenhausen in 1909. Both these events were widely reported in the press and Jaroslav Hašek was surely well informed about the case.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] Polní kurát Otto Katz, nejdokonalejší vojenský kněz, byl žid. To ostatně není nic divného. Arcibiskup Kohn byl také žid a ještě dokonce Macharův kamarád. Polní kurát Otto Katz měl ještě pestřejší minulost než slavný arcibiskup Kohn.

Credit: Jitka Jonová

Literature
Father Schachleiter, Albannn flag
*20.1.1861 Mainz - †20.6.1937 Feilnbach
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alban.jpg

© Langhans Praha

alban2.png

Národní politika,7.11.1908

alban.png

Národní listy,5.12.1918

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schachleiter1.png

Národní listy,21.6.1937

Páter Albán was the priest who baptised Feldkurat Katz after the latter's conversion from Judaism. In the novel referred to as páter Albán, he ceremoniously dipped Katz in the baptismal font in Emauzský klášter.

Background

Páter Albán (born Johann Jakob Schachleiter) was a German Benedictine monk and from 1908 abbot at Emauzský klášter. In 1886 he was ordained as a priest, and he was associated with the monastery in various roles from 1892 to 1918. He was very involved in church music, played the organ himself and was also an expert on the instrument. He was also involved in politics, and was for instance one of the leaders of the German nationalistic Los-von-Rom-Bewegung that worked for closer links with Germany both religiously and politically.

Schachleiter was an affluent man - in 1908 he bought a sumptuous car from Laurin a Klement, the firm that was later to become Škoda. In August 1914 he converted the work-shop of the monastery into a hospital that could receive up to 50 patients. Due to his German nationalism Pater Alban was unpopular amongst the Czech part of the population and despite his many years in Prague he never bothered to learn Czech. The population register shows that his home address was the very monastery (1902) but in 1915 he was not registered as a resident of Prague anymore.

The new state

In the tense situation after the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the creation of Czechoslovakia 28 October 1918, Schachleiter was from part of the Czech press subjected to accusations, one of them being espionage. Already on 31 October a delegation named by the newly created National Committee appeared to investigate the claims but let itself be convinced that they were without substance. The Emaus monastery still became a victim of the fervent moods that prevailed these days. It was surrounded by crowds, occupied and guarded by Sokol and the so-called Academic League (students).

To refute the claims he had a proclamation printed (dated 5 November) in Národní politika, Prager Tagblatt and Bohemia. This made scant impressions and the abbot was confined to his house and in the hostile environment he chose to leave the country as the National Committee couldn't guarantee his safety. When leaving on 9 December he was recognised in Benešov and arrested. On intervention from higher authorities he was released and could continue to Linz where he arrived on 10 December 1918. It turned out that the abbot had left the country for good and in 1920 he resigned his position at the monastery. All the German monks likewise left the Emaus monastery and emigrated.

He was never taken to court and there is no indication that any proofs were ever put on the table. Schachleiter himself claimed that members of the atheist organisation Volná myšlenka were behind the smear campaign, and also emphasised the that the Czechoslovak authorities were not directly involved in the harassment of him and Emauzský klášter.

Nazi association

Schachleiter settled in Bavaria and if he had been a German nationalist in Prague, he soon took it a bit further. For posterity he has become notorious due to his open co-operation with the Nazis and Adolf Hitler personally, a connection that had been established as early as 1923. On several pictures he is seen shaking hands with Der Führer. His political involvement led him into direct conflict with the Catholic church and he was briefly suspended. On his 74th birthday Schachleiter received personal greetings from Adolf Hitler, Rudolf Hess and several others from the NSDAP hierarchy and in 1937 he was honoured with a state funeral.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] Křtili ho slavnostně v Emauzích. Sám páter Albán ho na máčel do křtitelnice. Byla to nádherná podívaná, byl u toho jeden nábožný major od pluku, kde Otto Katz sloužil, jedna stará panna z ústavu šlechtičen na Hradčanech a nějaký otlemený zástupce konsistoře, který mu dělal kmotra.

Also written:Páter AlbánHašek

Literature
François de Salesnn flag
*21.8.1567 Chateau de Sales - †28.12.1622 Lyon
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sales.jpg
sales.png

Wiener allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung,11.10.1816

François de Sales had his portrait displayed on the wall of the sacristy of the garrison chapel at Hradčany. He even witnesses Švejk's first conversation with Feldkurat Katz. See also Vězeňské kaple.

Background

François de Sales (Francis de Sales) was a French bishop and theologian, later to be canonised. He was a distinguished counter-reformist, notable for his stand against Calvinism. He is the patron saint of the deaf, writers and journalists.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] Seskočil se stolu a cukaje Švejkovi za rameno křičel pod velkým, zasmušilým obrazem Františka Sáleského: „Přiznej se, lumpe, žes brečel jen tak kvůli legraci?!“ A František Sáleský díval se tázavě z obrazu na Švejka.

Also written:Francis de SalesenFrantišek SaleskýczFranz von SalesdeFrans av Salesno

Literature
Auditor Bernisnn flag
Search Švejkův slovník

Bernis is mentioned 16 times in The Good Soldier Švejk.

Bernis was judge advocate at k.u.k. Militärgericht Prag (military court) at Hradčany. He was a libertine who had his focus anywhere but in court. He mislaid most court documents and often had to invent accusations to get the trials done.

Background

The name Bernis does not exist in address books from Prague or any military records so it's a mystery where Hašek got the name from. Known persons with this surname did exist, but they were from a French noble family. Still the name at times appeared in the press in Austria-Hungary so Hašek may well have picked it up there.

The Good Soldier Švejk in Captivity

In Dobrý voják Švejk v zajetí the miltary court at Hradčany is also part of the plot and to a higher degree than in the novel. Also here an auditor handles Švejk's case but his name is not mentioned.[1]

Veselý auditor, který v německém kasíně bavil vždy celou společnost, vypravoval, jak dnes české čarodějnici dali pět let. A před tohoto veselého auditora přišel Švejk k výslechu. Jak tu stál, po obou stranách vojáka s bajonetem, jeho milé dobré oči bloudily po celé místnosti a zdály se burcovati svědomí celého okolí. Auditora, akta, skříň v rohu i provázející ho vojáky.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] Vyšetřující auditor Bernis byl muž společnosti, půvabný tanečník a mravní zpustlík, který se zde strašně nudil a psal německé verše do památníků, aby měl pohotově vždy nějakou zásobu. Byl nejdůležitější složkou celého aparátu vojenského soudu, poněvadž měl tak hrozné množství restů a spletených akt, že uváděl v respekt celý vojenský soud na Hradčanech. Ztrácel obžalovací materiál a byl nucen vymýšlet si nový.
Literature
References
1Dobrý voják Švejk v zajetíJaroslav Hašek1917
Korporal Říhann flag
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riha1.png

Jaroslav Hašek,1921

© LA-PNP

riha2.png

A. Sauer a J. Čermák, 1921

riha3.png

Vydavatelstvo ROH,1955

Říha was employed at Posádková věznice (the garrison prison). He is mentioned briefly in an anecdote that one of the prisoners in cell 16 relates (from his stay in cell number 12).

Background

There is no obvious link to any living person although people with the surname Korporal Říha were quite a few in Prague at the time. He was probably not an active soldier, so looking for him in pre-war address books (military perons) yields no results. In 1915 several soldiers with the surname Říha served in Infanterieregiment Nr. 91, so the name may have been borrowed from one of these.

Edited away

In post World War II editions of The Good Soldier Švejk Korporal Říha is simply replaced by Feldwebel Řepa in his role. The editors must have thought that the author really meant the latter and corrected the "error" (which it probably was). More than one hundred minor changes were done to the text in the early nineteen-fifties: removing "russisisms", adapting to modern Czech and Hungarian orthography, and on at least one occasion spelling mistakes in German were corrected[a]. The only other person that fell victim to the "clean-up" was Oberst Schlágr.

This revising of the novel meant that Korporal Říha was absent in both post-war English translations, as well as most other modern translations, and even some that originate from the inter-war years but have been revised since then. In the most recent German translation (2014) Říha has however resurfaced.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] Tak tam hned přilítli, zavolali štábního profousa a kaprála Říhu;. My všichni jeden jako druhý říkáme, že se zbláznil, že včera i dlouho do noci žral a že to všechno sežral.

Credit: Pavel Petr

Literature
References
aHašeks "Schweijk" in DeutschlandPavel Petr1963
Koudela, Josefnn flag
Search Švejkův slovník
koudela.png

Adresář hl. města Prahy..., 1910

Josef Koudela was an inmate at Posádková věznice (garrison prison) who fell victim to Auditor Bernis' disorderliness. The latter had swapped his acts with those of Švejk. Documents found after the war indicated that this Koudela was executed.

Background

Koudela is a common Czech surname and many lived in Prague in 1910, amongst them at least five carrying the first name Josef. A number of others are listed in the loss lists from World War I, and there lived also one well-known person named Josef Koudela. He was a politician from the Catholic-National Party. Still it has not been possible to identify any particular Josef Koudela who fits the description from the garrison prison.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] Spisy byly zastrčeny do spisů týkajících se jakéhosi Josefa Koudely. Na obálce byl křížek a pod ním „Vyřízeno“ a datum.
Literature
Infanterist Maixnernn flag
Wikipedia cz Search Švejkův slovník
maixner.png

Adresář hl. města Prahy...,1910

maixner.jpg

Český svět,9.11.1917

Maixner was an infantryman who stood accused at the same time as Švejk. This is revealed in a telegram Auditor Bernis receives from c.k. policejní ředitelství just when Švejk was to be in his office for interrogation.

Background

Maixner and Meixner were common surnames in Prague at the time and obviously many of them served in k.u.k. Wehrmacht. It has however not been possible to identify anyone that fits the description from the novel. It is therefore probably a case of a borrowed name and nothing more.

Dr. Maixner

Maixner is a name that also briefly appears in the story Střed Evropy that Jaroslav Hašek had printed in Národní obzor in 1912, so in the case of name-borrowing he is an obvious candidate. In this story the person Maixner is no doubt real. Hašek writes in negative terms about Dr. Emerich Maixner (1847-1920), owner of a large estate and also a well known medical doctor who eventually was named Hofrat. For a period he was also the main editor of Ottův slovník naučný.

Jaroslav Hašek: Střed Evropy

Chlumecké panství rozesílá do kraje své pivo, na velkostatcích se lidi dřou do úmoru, ve Velkých Kňovicích má velkostatek pan dr. Maixner, a jestli si tohoto povšimne, tak si přečte, že právě na jeho velkostatku jsou mzdové poměry velice bídné. Jedině co v tom kraji tak bije do očí, jest poctivost.

Quote(s) from the novel
[I.9] Po odchodu polního kuráta dal si auditor Bernis předvésti Švejk a nechal ho stát u dveří, poněvadž právě dostal telefonogram od policejního ředitelství, že vyžadovaný materiál k obžalovacímu spisu čís. 7267, týkající se pěšáka Maixnera, byl přijat v kanceláři čís. 1 s podpisem hejtmana Linharta.

Credit: Jaroslav Šerák

Literature
Index Back Forward I. In the rear Hovudpersonen

9. Švejk in the garrison prison

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