Nezval, Vitezslav: - Vitezslav Nezval (1900-58), an original member of the avant-garde artists group Devetsil and a leading figure in the Poetist movement, was perhaps the most prolific Czech writer of the interwar period. His output consists of a number of poetry collections, experimental plays and novels, memoirs, essays, and translations. His best work is from the interwar period. Nezval frequently visited Paris, engaging with the French surrealists. Forging a friendship with Andre Breton and Paul Eluard, he was instrumental in founding The Surrealist Group in Czechoslovakia.