Pérák, the Spring Man of Prague

Pérák, the Spring Man was an urban legend originating from the Czechoslovakian city of Prague during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in the midst of World War II. In the decades following the war, Pérák has also been portrayed as a Czech superhero.

History

According to historians Callum McDonald and Jan Kaplan in their book Prague in the Shadow of the Swastika: a History of the German Occupation 1939-1945 (London, 1995), "the Springer" was said to leap out from shadowy alleys and startle passers-by.[1] Oral tradition suggests that some of Pérák's leaps were of an extraordinary magnitude, including the act of jumping over train carriages, similar to England's Spring-heeled Jack.

A contemporary and possibly associated rumour concerned a "Razor Blade Man" who was said to slash at victims with razors attached to his fingers.

Researcher Mike Dash quotes George Zenaty, a noted authority on the policing of Prague during the war years, that:[2]

In 2015 a social activist claiming the identity of Pérák fronted a guerilla media campaign to commemorate the former site of the Lety concentration camp.

The 2017 book Mýtus o pérákovi. Městská legenda mezi folklorem a populární kulturou by Czech folklorist Petr Janeček offers a comprehensive survey of the Perak phenomenon, tracing a history from the figure of Spring Heeled Jack in England during the early 19th century through to Czech folklore before, during and after World War 2, and then into popular culture via a succession of speculative fiction novels, comic book treatments and other works of fiction.

Pérák in fiction

1946: Pérák a SS by Jiří Trnka and Jiří Brdečka

A 14-minute 1946 Czechoslovakian animated cartoon Pérák a SS ("The Springer and the SS", also released in English-speaking markets as "Springman and the SS", "Jumping Jack and the SS" or "The Chimneysweep") was created by the renowned Czech animator Jiří Trnka and film-maker Jiří Brdečka. It portrayed the "Springer" as a heroic and mischievous black-clad chimney sweep, with a mask fashioned out of a sock. He was capable of performing fantastic leaps due to having couch springs attached to his shoes. Pérák taunted German Army sentries, the Gestapo and, particularly, a Hitleresque Nazi collaborator before escaping in a surrealistic, slapstick chase across the darkened city, ultimately freeing a number of incarcerated citizens of Prague.

Trnka's postwar interpretation of Pérák as a quasi-superhero, defying the curfew and the authority of the German occupying forces, formed the basis for sporadic revivals of the character in Czech science fiction and comic book stories.

1961: "Pérový muž" by Jan Weiss

In 1961, Pérák was featured as a heroic character in the story "Pérový muž" ("The Spring-Man"), which was written by Czech science fiction writer Jan Weiss and published as part of a collection of short stories entitled Bianka Braselli, A Two-Headed Lady. In his 1997 biographical essay on Weiss, Vilém Kmuníček speculated that the inspiration for this story was in response to National Socialist propaganda:[3]

1986: Pérák Comics by Ondřej Neff

In 1986, Czech science fiction writer Ondřej Neff also portrayed Pérák as a heroic figure of resistance against the Nazi occupation of Prague. In 2001, he created (under the pseudonyme "Aston") a satirical comic strip titled Pérák kontra Globeman (Pérák versus Globalman) which conflates the figures of the Springer and the Razor Blade Man and pits him against a villain called Globalman, who bears a strong resemblance to McDonald's mascot Ronald McDonald.[4]

2016: The Shadow over Prague

In 2016, Marek Berger created an animated film Pérák: Stín nad Prahou (English name: The Shadow over Prague). The film has won 2 awards at International Student Film Festival in Opava - for best animated film and absolute best film.[5][6][7]

Other fictional works

The cartoonist Adolf Lachman, in cooperation with scriptwriters Monge and Morten, is producing a new series of comic strips about Pérák, portraying him as a World War II-era costumed superhero who battles the Gestapo with the aid of various weapons and mechanical spring-powered boots. In addition, the Czech magazine Živel is giving space on its pages to those Czech writers and artists who have been influenced by the stories of Jan Weiss, Jiří Brdečka, Jiří Trnka and Ondřej Neff.

See also

References

  1. ↑ McDonald, Callum and Jan Kaplan: Prague in the Shadow of the Swastika: a History of the German Occupation 1939-1945 (London 1995) 137.
  2. ↑ Dash, Mike: Spring-Heeled Jack Fortean Studies 3 (1996), 7-125
  3. ↑ Kmuníček, Vilém: Jan Weiss dnes (Jan Weiss Nowadays) Z Českého ráje a Podkrkonoší, vol. 10, 1997, 109–128.
  4. ↑ Neff, Ondrej: Perak, cesky super-hero [1989]
  5. ↑ "Filmový festival Opavský páv má své vítěze!". StudentPoint.cz. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  6. ↑ "Pérák (studentský film) (2016) | Galerie". ČSFD.cz. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  7. ↑ "Pávie pierka sú rozdané | Opavský páv". opavskypav.slu.cz. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  • Janecek, Petr: Cerna sanitka: Druha zen. Perak, ukradena ledvina a jine povesti. [Prague 2007], 123-156.
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