Poet Fischerova Dies at 75

The first lady of contemporary Czech poetry, Viola Fischerova, has died at the age of 75. The poet was battling a terminal disease before she passed away in Prague's Motol hospital on 4 November.

Originally from Brno in eastern Czech Republic, Fischerova spent much of her life travelling across Europe where she lived in Switzerland and Germany. She also spent time translating foreign poetry into the Czech language, such as the works of Polish poet Witkacy.

Having faced problems with publications under the communist regime, Fischerova's poems, influenced by the death of both her first and second husband, were not published until 1993 after which she soon returned home to the Czech Republic.