- Born:
- Jan. 9, 1890, Malé Svatoňovice, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now in Czech Republic]
- Died:
- Dec. 25, 1938, Prague, Czech. (aged 48)
Karel Čapek
-
Who was Karel Čapek?
Karel Čapek (1890–1938) was a Czech novelist, playwright, short-story writer, and essayist. He is well known for his literary works that explore philosophical ideas. Čapek's early stories delve into humanity's quest for ultimate values. He also wrote "black utopias" that examined how scientific discoveries and technological advancements can lead to human rebellions.
Čapek is credited with inventing the word "robot" from the Czech word for forced labor. He introduced the word in his play R.U.R.: Rossum's Universal Robots (1920), a cautionary drama about human-like machines dominating and threatening the human race.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What country was Karel Čapek from?
Karel Čapek was a Czech writer, born in Bohemia, Austria-Hungary, in what is now the Czech Republic. He is known as a novelist, playwright, short-story writer, and essayist. Čapek's work often explored philosophical ideas, such as humanity's grappling with technology and progress, as seen in his play R.U.R.: Rossum's Universal Robots, where he introduced the word "robot". His works often touched on social and political issues, reflecting his support for democracy and justice.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What kinds of books or plays did Karel Čapek write?
Karel Čapek, a Czech writer, was known for his novels, short stories, plays, and essays. Čapek's works often explored philosophical ideas through various genres. He wrote early short stories and "black utopias" that examined humanity's relationship with scientific and technological advancements.
Čapek's notable works include the play R.U.R.: Rossum’s Universal Robots, where he introduced the word "robot," and other works like The Absolute at Large and The War with the Newts. Čapek also wrote comic fantasies such as The Insect Play, which satirized human nature. His later works included realistic novels and plays that addressed the threats posed by Nazi Germany, like Power and Glory and The Mother.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why is Karel Čapek famous in science fiction history?
Karel Čapek is famous in science fiction history as the Czech writer who introduced the word "robot" to the English language in his 1920 play, R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots). In Czech, robota means forced labor. Čapek's play is a "black utopia," where a scientist discovers how to create human-like machines that are more reliable than humans. The robots eventually dominate and threaten the human race with extinction. Čapek's play R.U.R. exposed the threats of a centralized, mechanized 20th-century society.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is the play 'R.U.R.' by Karel Čapek best known for?
Karel Čapek's play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), published in 1920, is best known for introducing the word "robot" to the English language. Čapek invented the word, deriving it from the Czech word "robota," which means "forced labor". The play explores a future where human-like machines are manufactured to perform dull, dangerous work, but they eventually rebel against their human creators, leading to disastrous consequences. R.U.R. is a cautionary tale that examines technological progress and its potential impact on humanity.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Karel Čapek's work influence the word 'robot' and modern science fiction?
Karel Čapek, a Czech writer, significantly influenced science fiction through his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), where he introduced the word "robot," derived from the Czech word for forced labor. The play explores the creation of human-like machines designed to serve humans, but these robots eventually dominate and threaten humanity. Čapek's concept of robots has since been used to provoke debate about humanity’s place in a technological environment.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Karel Čapek (born Jan. 9, 1890, Malé Svatoňovice, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now in Czech Republic]—died Dec. 25, 1938, Prague, Czech.) was a Czech novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and essayist.
The son of a country doctor, Čapek suffered all his life from a spinal disease, and writing seemed a compensation. He studied philosophy in Prague, Berlin, and Paris and in 1917 settled in Prague as a writer and journalist. From 1907 until well into the 1920s, much of his work was written with his brother Josef, a painter, who illustrated several of Karel’s books.
Almost all Čapek’s literary works are inquiries into philosophical ideas. The early short stories—in Zářivé hlubiny (with Josef, 1916; “The Luminous Depths”), Krakonošova zahrada (with Josef, 1918; “The Garden of Krakonoš”), and Trapné povídky (1921; in Money and Other Stories, 1929)—are mainly concerned with man’s efforts to break out of the narrow circle of destiny and grasp ultimate values. Another series of works presents Čapek’s “black utopias,” showing how scientific discoveries and technological progress tempt man into titanic rebellions. Thus, in the play R.U.R.: Rossum’s Universal Robots (published 1920, performed 1921), a scientist discovers the secret of creating humanlike machines that are more precise and reliable than human beings. Years later the machines dominate the human race and threaten it with extinction, though at the last moment it is saved. For this play Čapek invented the word “robot,” deriving it from the Czech word for forced labour.
Other works, following the pattern of R.U.R., include the novel Továrna na absolutno (1922; The Absolute at Large); Krakatit (1924; An Atomic Phantasy); and Válka s mloky (1936; The War with the Newts).
In another vein, Čapek’s comic fantasy Ze života hmyzu (with Josef, 1921; The Insect Play) satirizes human greed, complacency, and selfishness, emphasizing the relativity of human values and the need to come to terms with life. His faith in democracy made him support his friend Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and write a biography of him. The quest for justice inspired most of the stories in Povídky z jedné kapsy and Povídky z druhé kapsy (both 1929; published together as Tales from Two Pockets).
The problem of identity and the mystery of people’s underlying motivations are the theme of Čapek’s most mature work, a trilogy of novels that together present three aspects of knowledge. Hordubal (1933) contrasts an inarticulate man’s awareness of the causes of his actions with the world’s incomprehension; Povětroň (1934; Meteor) illustrates the subjective causes of objective judgments; and Obyčejný život (1934; An Ordinary Life) explores the complex layers of personality underlying the “self” an “ordinary” man thinks himself to be.
The growing threat posed by Nazi Germany to Czechoslovakia’s independent existence in the mid-1930s prompted Čapek to write several works intended to warn and mobilize his countrymen. The realistic novel Prvni parta (1937; The First Rescue Party) stressed the need for solidarity. In his last plays the appeal became more direct. Bílá nemoc (1937; Power and Glory) presented the tragedy of the noble pacifist; and Matka (1938; The Mother) vindicated armed resistance to barbaric invasion.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
