Jan Šejbl
The Marvellous Travels of Joe Hloucha
This paper focuses on the sources of inspiration that shaped the life of Joe Hloucha (1881-1957) from his childhood and student years until he became an acclaimed writer, traveller and collector. This is made possible thanks to a rich source base, especially diaries and notes preserved in his personal archival collection, which is stored in the archives of the Náprstek Museum. We can trace the influence of his passion for adventure books on his first attempts at literary writing. His interest in travel was influenced by family trips and inspiration by famous travellers of the late 19th century. The most important of them was Josef Kořenský (1847-1938), an educator and traveller who became famous for his journey around the world in 1893-1894. Kořenský's travelogue dedicated to Japan was the major influence that led Hloucha, at that time a thirteen-year-old student of the grammar school in Mladá Boleslav, to a lifelong interest in Japan and its culture. Another important moment was his relocation to Prague in 1895. The environment of the big city offered many new stimuli. Under the influence of visits to museums, the young Hloucha decided to become a collector. Thanks to his detailed diary entries it is possible to pinpoint the exact date of the foundation of his collection - 27 July 1898. From then on, Hloucha used every opportunity to enrich his collection. He also twice visited traveller Enrique Stanko Vráz (1860-1932). The Japanese calendar which Hloucha received as a gift from Vráz is still in the collections of the Náprstek Museum along with non-European objects from his collection. Hloucha succeeded in fulfilling his childhood dreams. He became a renowned writer, traveller and collector and today is one of the most important contributors to the collections of the Náprstek Museum.
Keywords: Joe Hloucha - Josef Kořenský - Enrique Stanko Vráz - travelling - collecting - Japan - Japanese culture
design by Bedřich Vémola
