Nezval, Vitezslav: - Vítězslav Nezval (1900-58), an original member of the avant-garde artists group Devětsil and a leading figure in the Poetist movement, was perhaps the most prolific Czech writer of the 20th century. His output consists of a number of poetry collections, experimental plays and novels, memoirs, essays, and translations. Along with Karel Teige, Jindřich Styrský, and Toyen, Nezval engaged with French Surrealists, forging a friendship with André Breton and Paul Eluard, which led to his initiating the founding of the Surrealist Group in Czechoslovakia in 1934.