On the Edge of Tomorrow
The most prominent voice reflecting the technological changes in everyday life at the end of the 19th century and the evolution of modern Czech literature was the journalist, poet, and writer Jan Neruda (1834–1891). He developed and perfected a relatively new literary form—a feuilleton that lies on the border between commentary and journalism. The feuilleton—a genre in which Neruda penned over two thousand pieces—provided him with a platform to reflect on and critique social changes, new inventions, and progress. Newspapers, as a medium of the new era, technology and fiction intertwine in Neruda’s work, challenging the perception of the 19th century as a slow-paced and distant era.
A short science fiction film based on a short story by Jan Neruda, made by Josef Kotalík for the exhibition Na hraně zítřka. The film premiered in February 2025 with the opening of the new permanent exposition. Version with English subtitles.
Cosmic Songs with five original etchings and drawings by Jan Konůpek
Context of the poem
It is possible that interpreters of Neruda’s poem have overlooked an important astronomical element in the text. While the eagle and scorpion are certainly symbols of loftiness and poisonous earthliness, they are also the names of constellations, both situated in the Milky Way, a dense belt of stars forming one of our Galaxy’s arms. Jan Neruda speculated that new stars are born within the Milky Way. Near the constellation of Scorpius lies the Galaxy’s core, a region already suspected by astronomers in Neruda’s time. Additionally, Scorpius contains a group of young stars known as the Scorpius-Centaurus OB Association. However, according to the historian of astronomy doc. Vladimír Štefl, the ability to measure the age of stars emerged only decades after Neruda wrote the poem, and the study of star associations developed much later. ‘It is likely the result of Neruda’s creative fantasy,’ says doc. Štefl. ‘There is no scientific error in his collection of poems,’ adds Prof. Jiří Grygar in the 2016 annotated edition of Písně kosmické (Cosmic Songs). However, Neruda may have doubted whether the statement about where new stars are truly born in the sky was scientifically sound, and this uncertainty may provide another explanation why this poem was excluded from his collection.
A sheet from the manuscript of Cosmic Songs - Part of the original manuscript
Jan Neruda donated the original manuscript of Písně kosmické (Cosmic Songs) to Říp, an association from the town of Roudnice. The manuscript, later referred to as ‘The Roudnice Manuscript,’ includes an additional poem, the 28th in order, which was ultimately excluded from the book edition. The reason remains unclear to this day. According to Ervín Špindler, who published the poem in Podřipan magazine in 1884, Neruda feared that its meaning might not be easily understood. Felix Vodička suggested that the poet wanted to avoid excessive humor, especially since, according to a handwritten note, Neruda had considered placing this poem at the very end of the collection.
