Czech writer Karel Čapek introduced the word "robot" to the world with his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) or Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti on January 20th, 1921. Čapek was born on Jan. 9, 1890 in Bohemia, Austria-Hungary, now the Czech Republic, and is known for his philosophical stories and plays which addressed themes of technology, authoritarian governments, and the struggle for human freedom. Čapek’s robots were no exception; the word itself means "forced labor” or “worker” in Czech. The play's themes deeply resonate with contemporary debates over the social implications of artificial intelligence and the work continues to spark innovative projects like a performance with humanoid robots as actors and 3Ai Institute educational resources.
International Playbills and Book Covers
R.U.R was eventually translated into over 50 languages. These book covers and playbills illustrate how its themes were interpreted around the world.
This flyer advertises the play's premiere in Prague. R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), By Karel Čapek, directed by Vojta Novák, theatrical set by Bedřich Feuerstein, costumes by Josef Čapek. Czech National Theater, January 25, 1921.
Čapek, Karel. Divadelní hry Karla Čapka (Theatre plays of Karel Čapek: Drama), volume 2, part 4 published by Aventinum - Praha. Cover designed by Josef Čapek. Ot. Štorch-Marien, Prague: 1922. 2. Čapek,
R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), By Karel Čapek, directed by J. Kodíček , theatrical set by V. Hofman. November 12.
R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), By Karel Čapek, The Theatre Guild, The Ford's Theatre, Washington DC, October 28, 1923.
Čapek Karel. Kanbara Tai Robotto. Cover designed by Kanbara Tai. Translated by Suzuki Zentaro. Tokyo: Kinseido, 1924.
This Korean translation of R.U.R appeared in four installments in the magazine Gaebyok in Seoul in 1925.
R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), By Karel Čapek, Translated by David Short, Alpenrose Opera House, Portland, OR, April 25-27.
Čapek, Karel. R.U.R. (Robots Universales Rossum). Translated by Consuelo Vázquez de Parga. Libros Mablaz, April 1, 2017.
R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots): A Collective Drama With a Comic Prologue and in Three Acts from the Czech Writer Karel Čapek], translated to Filipino by Guelan Varela-Luarca (Central Book Supply Inc., 2016), from the English version by Claudia Novack
- Digital Exhibits
- Karel Čapek Memorial House: An exhibition focused on the life and work of Karel Čapek , Olga Scheinpflugová and Ferdinand Peroutka. The website includes a virtual tour.
- Čapek Travel Guide: "The Hradec Králové region is honored to be the birthplace of many literary giants. Among them are the Čapek siblings, whom not only by their work, but especially by their human dimension, have been notably enrolled into the history of our nation." This website includes a video guide and map of related historic sites in the region.
- AMG - Museum of the Čapek Brothers: The Museum of the Čapek Brothers was founded in 1946, and includes exhibits about both Karel and Josef.
- Karel Čapek 130: This exhibit by the Borough of Prague 10 brings the writer back to the streets of Prague and his home in the suburbs with period photographs taken by Čapek himself and others. "The exhibition presents what Karel Čapek, as a citizen, thought of public and political life at the time."
- Articles Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of R.U.R
- R.U.R. was the first science fiction television program aired on BBC.
- The 100th Anniversary of the Robot Apocalypse
- ‘Robot’ was coined 100 years ago, in a play predicting human extinction by android hands
- BBC Sounds: “The Robots are US”: This BBC Radio Documentary features California State University Long Beach Professor Jesse Brown O’Dell, who details the history of the robot, and provides commentary on Soviet-Ukrainian author V. Vladko's 1929 novella The Robots are Coming and Soviet-Russian director A. Andrievskii's 1935 film Loss of Sensation.
- Books at the UCLA Libraries
- Rossum's universal robots (R.U.R.) : a collective drama in three acts with a comedy prelude
- Art and Life in Modernist Prague by T. Ort: "In most contemporary historical writing the picture of modern life in Habsburg Central Europe is a gloomy story of the failure of rationalism and the rise of protofascist movements. This book tells a different story, focusing on the Czech writers and artists distinguished by their optimistic view of the world in the years before WWI."
- Lost in the shadow of the word : space, time, and freedom in interwar Eastern Europe by Benjamin Paloff: Benjamin Paloff contends that writers in Central and Eastern Europe felt the impact of the "epistemic trauma" of World War I quite distinctly from their counterparts in Western Europe.
100 years after its premiere, R.U.R's themes are still apparent in science fiction novels, television shows, and films around the world. R.U.R. was never made into film neither in the Czech Republic or anywhere else, but its themes persist. R.U.R and the stories that followed it illustrate how the history of technology is influenced by distinct cultural contexts, from the Soviet Union to Japan to the contemporary United States. Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis on the left explores themes of industrialization, modernity, and authoritarianism in the post World War I context.
The robots in 1935 Soviet film Робот Джима Рипль (Loss of Sensation) by Alexandr Andriyevsky display the name "R.U.R."
The 1977 Doctor Who episode "The Robots of Death" includes a character named Taren Capel who incites robots to betray their human masters, echoing R.U.R.
Ridley Scott's iconic 1982 film stars bioengineered humanoids known as replicants who mirror R.U.R's robots by forcing the audience to question what it means to be human.
1984 Czech sci-fi comedy film Babičky dobíjejte přesně (Grandmothers Recharge Well!) directed by Ladislav Rychman, tells the story of two families with Grandmother inspired robots who eventually revolt against their masters.
Paul Verhoeven's 1987 superhero robot film Robocop turns a murdered police officer into a crime fighting robot. The film follows R.U.R in contemplating identity and the robot's residual humanaity.
Mamoru Oshii's groundbreaking 1995 cyberpunk anime film Ghost in the Shell follows the Major, a cyborg in search of a dangerous hacker. Oshii hoped to convey the power and influence of technology in the present world through the film.
1973 film Westworld takes place in a Western themed amusment park staffed by androids who cater to human desires but cannot harm their guests. It was adapted into a television series in 2016.
Joss Whedon's televsion show Dollhouse revolves around the employees of the Rossum Corporation, named after the play. The show's "dolls" have their memories wiped and saved on hard drives and are given artificial personalities.
- Asimov, Isaac. 1963. I, Robot. Doubleday Science Fiction. Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday. American science fiction pioneer Issac Asimov coined the germinal "three laws of robotics" in his 1942 short story "Runaround" included in this 1950 anthology I, Robot.
- Gerrold, David. 1972. When Harlie Was One. Book club ed. Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday. This novel portrays the life of a computer, raised by humans, who believes that he is himself human.
- Wells, Martha, and Martha Wells. 2017. All Systems Red. First edition. The Murderbot Diaries, book 1. New York: Tom Doherty Associates. "A murderous android discovers itself in "All Systems Red", a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that interrogates the roots of consciousness through Artificial intelligence."
- Kling, Marc-Uwe, and Jamie Searle Romanelli. 2020. Qualityland. First Grand Central Publishing edition. New York: Grand Central Publishing This German satirical novel envisions a country called QualityLand where "a universal ranking system determines the social advantages and career opportunities of every member of society. In QualityCity, Peter Jobless is a machine scrapper who can't quite bring himself to destroy the imperfect machines sent his way, and has become the unwitting leader of a band of robotic misfits hidden in his home and workplace."
- Wilson, Daniel H., and John Joseph Adams, eds. 2014. Robot Uprisings. First Vintage Books edition. New York: Vintage, a division of Random House, Inc."As real robots creep into our lives, so does a sense of fear--we have all wondered what horrifying scenarious might unfold if our technology were to go awry...Robot Uprisings contains meticulously described, exhilarating trips to futures in which humans can only survive by being more clever and tenacious than the rebellious machines they have unwittingly created"
- Shirow, Masamune, Frederik L. Schodt, Toren Smith, and Scott O. Brown. 2017. The Ghost in the Shell Deluxe Edition. Definitive edition. New York: Kodansha Comics. "Deep into the twenty-first century, the line between man and machine has been blurred as humans rely on the enhancement of mechanical implants and robots are upgraded with human tissue. In this rapidly converging landscape, cyborg superagent Major Motoko Kusanagi is charged to track down the craftiest and most dangerous terrorists and cybercriminals, including "ghost hackers" who are capable of exploiting the human/machine interface and reprogramming humans to become puppets to carry out the hackers' criminal ends."
- Leckie, Ann. 2013. Ancillary Justice. First edition. New York: Orbit. "Now isolated in a single frail human body, Breq, an artificial intelligence that used to control of a massive starship and its crew of soldiers, tries to adjust to her new humanity while seeking vengeance and answers to her questions."
- ROBOT100 Czech writers are celebrating the centennial of "robot" with an anthology by top Czech science fiction and mainstream Czech writers.
- A rossum’s best friend by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro: The influential Czech writer's story about a robot who attempts to create art.
Credits:
This exhibit was created by UCLA Library International Studies Department librarian Alena Aissing and Library Student Research Assistant Julia Tanenbaum in partnership with Czech Consulate of Los Angeles with imput and materials from Consular Affairs Officer Aneta Campbell and Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles Amb. Jaroslav Olša, Jr.