Josef Vrba – Avion

Josef Vrba – Avion: Básně (Airplane: Poems) Plzeň: Nakladem omladiny v Plzni, n.d. [c. early 1930s]. 8vo, 55 pp. Original illustrated wrappers. A scarce regional contribution to Czech poetism, issued shortly after Jaroslav Seifert’s TSF. Vrba’s poems orbit the modernist imagination—circus life, exotic travel, aviation, ocean liners, and radio—culminating in the typographically inventive “S.O.S.”, which echoes Seifert and deploys Teige-like visual poetry. Cover and avant-garde typography by Josef Skupa, pioneering figure of modern Czech puppetry and creator of Spejbl and Hurvínek. Skupa, later founder of a professional puppet theatre and president of UNIMA, brings a bold constructivist sensibility to the design. A visually striking and culturally resonant bookl. Very good condition. Inv. i1