Ján Smrek.
His real name was Čietek, a national artist, poet, writer, editor, publicist, publisher and organizer of cultural life.
16.12.1898 Zemianske Lieskové (part of the municipality of Melčice-Lieskové) 08.12.1982 Bratislava, buried in Martin at the National Cemetery.
He started attending elementary school in Kochanovce and after his father's death as a pupil of the Evangelical orphanage in Modra. In 1913–1917 he trained as a shop assistant and worked briefly in Dolná země and with the Makovickýs in Ružomberok.
In 1917–1918 he was sent to the Palestinian front as a soldier of the Austro-Hungarian army, where he fell ill with malaria. In 1919–1921 he studied at the Modrany Teachers' Institute and in 1921–1924 at the Evangelical Theological Faculty in Bratislava, but did not complete his studies.
Later he worked as a journalist in the editorial office of Slovenský denník and in Národné noviny in Martin. In Prague, he founded and led the Edition of Young Slovak Authors in 1925–1938 and the literary and artistic magazine Elán in 1930–1947.
With his artistic qualities and wealth of ideas, he ranks among the most significant figures in Slovak literary creation in the 20th century. His poetic work, characterized by simplicity and melodiousness, has found and still finds a wide circle of admirers at home and abroad. In his poems, he expresses love for humanity and optimism for life. During the rise of fascism in Europe, he expressed his democratic and anti-fascist mindset in his poetry and civic attitudes.
He began publishing in 1916 in the Slovak newspaper. He also published his poems in Živena, Slovenské pohľady, Zlatá Praha, Lidové noviny, Evanjelické posle spod Tatier, Tvorba T, Cirkevné listy and elsewhere.
He is the author of the poetry collections Condemned to Eternal Thirst (1922), Galloping Days (1925), Divine Knots (1929), Only Eyes (1933), The Poet and the Woman (1934), Grain (1935), The Feast (1944), The Well (1945), The Image of the World (1958), Strings (1962). Written on a Barrel (1964), Do Not Disturb My Circles (1965), Selections: Books of Youth 1–2 (1948), Selected Verses (1954), Women (1971), My Beloved (1972), The Pink Song Rains from My Mouth (1973), Forms of Love (1978), Beautiful Simplicity (1979), Bacardi and Other Poems (1979).
He also wrote poetry for children. He dedicated the collections Maľovaná abeceda (1954) and Machule (1956) to them. He translated from Hungarian (Ady Endre, A. József, S. Petofi), from French (F. Villon, P. Corneille) with Josef Felix, from Russian (A. S. Pushkin), from Polish (J. Tuwim), from Turkish (Nazim Hikmet).
He was responsible for the publication of a representative collection of studies on Slovak literature and art under the title Slovak Literary and Artistic Presence (1931). He presents a picture of the cultural life of his time in the memoirs Poetry – My Love I – II (1968 and 1989).
Ján Smrek collaborated with Slovak composer Ján Cikker on the libretto of the opera Beg Bajazid and is also a co-creator of the libretto of the opera Mr. Scrooge (Shadows). Among his collaborators – composers is Frico Kafenda, who composed a cycle of three songs to the poet's words: Letters, Enchantment and Song. Eugen Suchoň also found his way to Smrek's poetry. Among other compositions, he composed the composition Slovak Song for male choir to the words of Ján Smrek for the 50th anniversary of the Slovak Teachers' Choir. Ján Smrek's poetry also served Andrej Očenáš, Oto Ferenczy and Alfréd Zemanovský.
Za svoju vynikajúcu literárnu a prekladateľskú činnosť ocenili básnika početnými vyznamenaniami doma i v zahraničí. Vďační rodáci mu odhalili v roku 1988 pri príležitosti jeho nedožitých 90. narodenín na budove Obecného úradu v Melčiciach-Lieskovom pamätnú tabuľu. Jej autorom je akademický sochár Igor Mosný z Trenčína. Pri príležitosti 100. výročia narodenia Jána Smreka bol v auguste 1998 odhalený pamätník v novovybudovanom parku v Melčiciach-Lieskovom.
