We Three Brothers

Karel Jaromír Erben (1811–70) was a Czech poet, historian and archivist with a particular interest in the folklore of his homeland. Born in Miletín near Jičín, Erben studied philosophy and law in Prague before working there as a court legal official. In 1843 the Czech patriot and historian František Palacký recruited him to join the National Museum; Erben was appointed archives’ secretary there in 1850. Erben’s books include his Romantic ballads Kytice z pověstí národních (A Bouquet of Folk Legends) of 1853 and his retelling of traditional stories Sto prostonárodních pohádek a pověstí slovanských v nářečích původních (One Hundred Slavic Folktales and Legends in Original Dialects) of 1865.

Jan Jedlička was born in Prague in 1944, where he studied painting at the academy before immigrating to Switzerland in 1969. He turned to photography rather late in his career. Jedlička’s work has been exhibited at museums and galleries throughout Europe, including Kunstmuseum and Kunsthalle Winterthur, the National Gallery of Prague, Centro Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in La Spezia, and the Josef Albers Museum in Bottrop. Steidl published his Il Cerchio / The Circle in 2008 and 200 m in 2020. Jedlička has had a long connection with Italy, and lives in Zurich and Prague.