Růžena Jesenská (1885 – 1945) was a Czech journalist, translator, and writer. Born in Prague, she pursued a career in journalism, contributing articles and essays to a variety of Czech periodicals in the early 20th century. Jesenská was also active as a literary translator, rendering works from Russian and other languages into Czech, thereby contributing to the diffusion of foreign literature in Czechoslovakia.
During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II, Jesenská became involved in the Czech resistance movement. She was arrested by the Gestapo in 1944 and subsequently detained in a concentration camp, where she died in 1945.
Jesenská’s contributions to Czech cultural life encompass journalism, literary translation, and resistance activity, and she is recognized for her role in both the literary and political spheres of her time.