Karel Čapek

Andrew G. Christensen (Boston University)
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Karel Čapek was a prolific writer in nearly every genre and one of the most well known figures from inter-war Czechoslovakia. He is best known today for coining the word

robot

in his dystopian play

R.U.R.

and for his satirical novel

War with the Newts

. As both of these works contain elements of science fiction, Čapek is often assigned to this genre. However, despite his friendship with H. G. Wells, his influence on writers such as Isaac Asimov and Kurt Vonnegut, and the science fiction elements present in much of his satirical work, it would be inaccurate to categorize Čapek as a science fiction writer. As well as being a life-long journalist, he wrote plays, poetry, children’s stories, fairy tales, detective fiction, travel writing, essays, and even a humor book about gardening (his…

3262 words

Citation: Christensen, Andrew G.. "Karel Čapek". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 November 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=728, accessed 28 March 2024.]

728 Karel Čapek 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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