(1820-1862)
Božena Němcová, the most famous Czech female writer, collector of fairy tales and folk tales, author of prose, short stories and poems. She is one of the first Czech women who established themselves as authors during the national revival in the nineteenth century and who, with their free spirit and independence, became role models for future generations. She secured her immortality with her novel The Grandmother. The book is a must-read for young Czechs and was translated into thirty languages. The author spent her childhood in a peaceful rural setting to which she turned in The Grandmother. At seventeen, she married Josef Němec, an official of the financial guard who was about ten years older; they had four children. Life alongside the devoted Czech patriot was restless, not very happy, constantly on the move, marred by political persecution. In 1842, the family settled in Prague and Němec introduced his wife to the patriotic society. She died on 21 January 1862 at the premature age of 42. She is buried at the Vyšehrad National Cemetery in Prague.