Karel Hynek Mácha

Karel Hynek Mácha was born in Prague on November 16, 1810. An avid walker who hiked hundreds of miles across the rugged castles and mountains of Bohemia, Mácha studied law while writing passionate, dark romantic verse.

In April 1836, he published at his own expense the narrative poem Máj, which stunned the conservative revivalists with its tragic exploration of love, guilt, and cosmic nihilism. Weeks before his planned wedding, he caught a lethal chill while helping extinguish a fierce fire in Litoměřice, dying on November 6, 1836, at just twenty-five.