Life story
Karel Kryl was born in 1944 in Kroměříž into a family of printers. The family printing house was liquidated by the communists in 1950 — the machines were destroyed before the eyes of parents and children. That experience resonated throughout his life in his songs.
He studied ceramic arts at the school in Bechyni. His songs were broadcast on radio from 1966, and in August 1968, as an immediate response to the invasion of Warsaw Pact troops, the song Bratříčku, zavírej vrátka was created. It became the anthem of its era.
In September 1969, he left for a festival in West Germany and remained in exile. He studied art history and journalism in München and from 1983 worked in the editorial office of Radio Free Europe. His records were released in exile and at home they were copied onto magnetic tapes.
He returned to his homeland in November 1989. Even after the revolution, he uncompromisingly commented on developments in society. He died on 3 March 1994 in München. He is buried at Břevnovský hřbitov in Praha.
Portrait: Josef Karas - heir permitted free distribution of the photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
Constellation of Life
Important milestones that shaped their journey.