1920-2003
Josef Hiršal (July 24, 1920 - September 15, 2003) was a Czech author, poet and novelist.Hiršal was widely regarded as one of the most important Czech authors of experimental poetry; after early surrealistic writings, he made his literary debut with a collection of poems. Later on, he joined the group of artists around Jiří Kolář, a friend of whom he remained for his entire life and with whom he published children's books in the 1950s after having been forbidden any kind of work during the Soviet occupation. He later on signed the Charta 77.[citation needed]