In 1993, poet Petr Král took on a modestly monumental project: he introduced the restaurant review to the Prague readership. His series
Básnik má hlad (
The Poet is Hungry) ran sporadically in the Sunday edition of the daily newspaper
Lidové Noviny from July through December. Although the ten reviews form an extremely small sampling, the series stands as an innovative artistic interpretation of the democracy-building project that was taking place throughout the newly born Czech Republic. The series is remarkable both on an individual level and on a national one. First of all, it is a novel venture by a major poet who had recently returned home from a lengthy exile. Král’s decision to turn his attention to the restaurant industry suggests an expansive, embracing conception of both business and art. Moreover his self-styling as a restaurant critic at once reflects his gourmet palate and his poetic sensibility. Second, the series shows how multi-faceted was the project of democracy-building in Czech Republic at this time. Sloughing off the remains of communism was not just a matter for politicians, it was the duty of artists, business owners and indeed every citizen. Through
Básnik má hlad, Král introduced an art form and promoted values to which he had been exposed during his exile in France and which he believed could take root in Czech Republic. However, contemporary France was only one of his two main reference points. Král advocates for restaurants to reclaim their status as sites of important cultural activity, suggesting that he also drew inspiration from the First Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1938), which loomed large in the popular imagination in the early 1990s.
Básnik má hlad suggests that in a free society, restaurants can be a venue for civic activity and artistic creation.
