Filip Klega
- Czech Republic -
Born in 1992 in Ostrava. He is a member of underground artistic group Vítrholc where he recites poetry and plays bass guitar. He is co-organisator of author’s reading series called Omlatina. His poems were published in anthology Pandezie and in international anthology Lines from Visegrad. His debut Andrstán (edition Mlat, Větrné mlýny, Brno, 2022) was awarded Jiří Orten Prize in 2023.
Filip Klega is a Czech poet born in Ostrava, a city known for its industrial history, which is also reflected in his poetry, describing the complexities and nuances of contemporary life in a post-industrial society. This is very often done with an emphasis on socio-economic conditions, where themes of alienation, precarisation and the often overlooked struggles of everyday people. Klega is not only a poet, but also a musician, member of the underground band Vítrholc, known for its avant-garde approach to music and literature. His dual identity simultaneously allows him to experiment with the performative aspects of poetry, while giving his work a rhythm and energy that recalls spoken word and performance, which is evident in both the cadence of his verse and the way his poems are to be experienced both on the written page and as performed. The influence of the underground scene, with its emphasis on countercultural expression and resistance to mainstream norms, has cast his poetry in a spirit of defiance and rebellion, challenging the status quo and giving voice to those who are usually marginalised, which is also evident in his debut poetry collection Andrstán (2022), published by Větrné mlýny, for which he was awarded the Jiří Orten Prize in 2023.
Klega's Andrstán is in fact a collection that is deeply rooted in the lived experiences of individuals on the margins of society. The very title, a combination of the words "Andr" (a transliteration of the English word "under") and "stan" (used similarly to its usage in the names of states like Kazakhstan or Afghanistan), alludes to the concept of an "under state," reflecting a geographical and political notion of subjugation or marginalisation – this neologism ties into the poems' exploration of precarious work, urban decay, and the emotional toll of economic instability, emphasising the transient and impermanent nature of existence. The work, divided compositionally into five sections, casts a wide net both thematically and in the different position of the subject, as the latter travels across broad geographical coordinates, orientating his perspective outwards, focusing on the peripheral beings of this world and then finding himself repeatedly in his second home, Brno, thus showing the surprising homogeneity of poverty and social exclusion, which are geographically boundaryless. The miniature portraits of aging workers in resigned despair and other characters from the underground, with whom the subject places himself on the same level, observing them and maintaining the same distance from them as he does from the rest of the world, are some of the highlights of the collection.
The poet depicts a world in which individuals, both physical and metaphorical, are in search of meaning in an increasingly fragmented society, using the underworld – without illusion or nostalgia – in a unique way as the object of his interest and the focus of his personal poetics. The latter is recognised for its strict realism and the way it captures the everyday struggles of those often voiceless in the broader cultural narrative, the author flirting with the tradition of social(ist) realism, but his approach differs in combining raw emotion with a sound knowledge of socio-political forces. This is all the more evident in the second part of the collection, which moves from the space of geography to the temporal literary-social line, marked by a focus on so-called trapná poezie (awkward poetry) – here, Klega draws on the work of Czech authors like Egon Bondy and his 1950s program of total realism, which rejected the functionality of surrealist imagination in favor of a straightforward recording of empirically observed reality. Additionally, Klega references Ivo Vodseďálek, who, like Bondy, departed from surrealism with trapná poezie, though his rejection was more humorous, leaning more towards the Dada tradition.
The unconcealed indifference and apathy towards everything around as an element of defiance, the search for alternatives, and at the same time the unique ability to create gestures and micro-stories that reflect the uncertain nature of contemporary life bring Klega closer to the past poetics of the Czech underground on the one hand, while on the other hand forging a new voice for the young generation. His poetic expression, manifested in an unconventional style, is filled with verses of sudden changes in tone and perspective, reflecting the instability and unpredictability of life, and a language that is at once minimalist and powerful, with each word able to evoke a particular emotional response. The latter allows Klega to explore multiple facets of meaning in his poems, creating a rich tapestry of ideas that challenge conventional interpretations of poetry, and in this way exposing his readership to the complexity of the emotions and ideas. This makes his poetry accessible and, at the same time, stimulating and forcing the reader to reflect on often uncomfortable truths in society, with a mix of humour, discomfort and anxiety.
Klega's work has garnered significant interest from both readers and critics, who note its reflection of broader trends in post-industrial literature, where the focus shifts from traditional themes of identity and nationality to more localised and immediate concerns, such as economic survival and social justice. His poetry, often analysed within the frameworks of social(ist) realism and postmodernism, is distinguished by its ability to merge these seemingly disparate traditions into a cohesive and impactful body of work. Klega's blend of personal narratives with broader social commentary makes his poetry deeply intimate yet universally resonant, marking him off as one of the most distinctive and promising voices in Czech poetry, while his incisive exploration of the human condition in today's increasingly fragmented and uncertain world stands out as a powerful and timely contribution to the literary landscape.
Essay written by Aljaž Koprivnikar
Poetry
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Leaves / Listy
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Optimists learn English / Optimisti se učí anglicky
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A traitorous government has resigned in Poland / V Polsku padla vlastizrádná vláda
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Say yes to the devil / Řekni ďáblovi ano
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Hell / Peklo
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I once heard / Jednou jsem slyšel
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I’m going out to enjoy some goulash / Jdu na gulášek
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I’m not missing anything / Nechybí mi nic
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Every day / Každý den
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You don't fall in love with the same Nela twice. / Nezamiluješ se dvakrát do stejné Nely
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L G / L G
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xxx / xxx
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XXX / XXX
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// / //
