Literary critic Milan Jungmann dies aged 90

Highly-respected literary critic Milan Jungmann, who headed several literary journals in the 1960s as well as the Writers’ Association, died at the age of 90 on Friday; the news was revealed a day later by Libuše Ludvíková of the Czech PEN club. Dr Jungmann, born in 1922 in Hořany near Most, completed studies at Charles University and headed the Czech National Library as well as Literární noviny and other publications in the 1960s. He joined the Communist Party in 1945 but was expelled in 1969 following the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Jungmann received the Tom Stoppard prize in 1989 and the F.X. Šalda award in 1995. The date of his funeral is expected be announced on Monday.

Author: Jan Velinger