This blog site features American born, 20th century international poet, historian, writer, and photographer, George Hruby. It features his works in the different fields of international poetry, history, writing, and photography, as well as present the world through his eyes and in his own words.
A French resident, he is currently embarked on a 5-year research project in S.E. Asia.
Sometimes described as a modern true-to-life Forrest Gump, his remarkable true-life adventures and observations around the world are powerfully reflected in his writings and photography. Dropping out of college after just two years and, following 20th century icons such as Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple) and Richard Branson (Virgin Airlines) who best summed it up by saying that “I educated myself in the real world.” Also, an international entrepreneur, Hruby has owned several successful companies in both San Diego, California as well as in Bordeaux, France.
His life has seen him in several careers including but not limited to, in Southern California; the U.S. Marines Corps, law enforcement, elite security operations, film director and producer, and surviving the “Great Recession” of the United States in the 21st century. Joining millions of Americans who had lost everything and, unable to find any further employment in America, he suddenly found himself in his fifties, employed as a private contractor in the War in Afghanistan for several years.
Finally settling in Paris, he delved into the rich history and art that is indeed France. Here, he returned back to his artistic roots. His life has found him in extraordinary circumstances of life and death; interactions with many countries, cultures, races, religions, and, standing in the presence of some of the world’s most powerful leaders at the beginning of the 21st century.
All these influences have flowed through this remarkable artist and his international works in history, poetry, photography, along with several new book releases. Hruby is considered by artistic standards as a “purest.” He does not abide by any one set of standards or rules of discipline. Nor, does he attempt to copy latest trends and practices. His style of photography is his own. His writing style, both in poetry and prose, is his own. He does not write or photograph to anyone’s set of rules. He is a unique, world artist finally being exposed in the 21st century.
After much persuasion, Hruby reluctantly agreed to begin release of over fifty years of international writings, historical research, poetry, and photography. Much to the world’s delight, his works are now finally beginning to be enjoyed and shared by new fans across the world.
Winning writing awards since the young age of fourteen, his poetic skills and talents were discovered by the World Congress of Poets in 1975, whereupon his poetry was already being published both nationally and internationally. By the age of eighteen, his works were being included in books such as “Anthology of Texas Poems” compiled by Poet Laureate, Dr. Stella Woodall. Inspired by such mentors as Dr. Woodall, and Dr. Hubertus Strughold, Professor of Space Medicine at NASA, Hruby continued his writing of poetry for the rest of his life.
Developing his own styles and variations, he became one of the first pioneers of poetry ‘written on site location’. This produced such works beginning in 1977, as “Suicide Cliffs”, written on location, at the base of Suicide Cliffs in Okinawa, Japan. Hruby sought to write on such subjects not only after tremendous research of the subject matter but, to then create compositions while being at the actual location itself. Continuing to travel around the world, his poetic compositions have largely centered on history and death, although in later years, expended into other genre.
Influenced by his father who was an avid camera bug, it was no doubt that Hruby, by the age of twenty, found himself often with two 35mm Nikons strung around his neck, as a U.S. Marine in the jungles of S.E. Asia in 1977. Just after the Vietnam War, Hruby began taking freelance photos of Marines in action all over the region. This resulted in his first photographic works being sold to fellow Marines, often buying his photos to send back to their homes in the United States. While considering becoming a combat photographer for the Marine Corps, Hruby continued investing years of time and money into freelance photography around the world. Hoping to one day be good enough to become a photographer for the National Geographic Magazine, he would spend the rest of his life shooting various subject genres but specializing in ancient ruins and candid photography of people in 3rd world countries.
His photography is now being made available for release to expositions and galleries around the world.
Deciding to expand his writing range, Hruby delve into writing prose, completing his first book in 1992, a fictional novel entitled “Bio’s. But with a background in history, it was not long before Hruby finished his second book in 1997, non-fiction, entitled “The Returning … a True Story”
By the first decade of the 21st century, Hruby wrote and completed his first screenplay, loosely based on his previous book, simply entitled “The Returning” in 2003.
That same year, Hruby returned to school to learn digital photography. Already an accomplished photographer, he took it up a notch and schooled in videography. He then created and founded Manorge Productions. The screenplay, “The Returning” was picked up by Manorge Productions and it immediately went into pre-production. Towards the end of 2004, filming began on the full-length movie with Hruby directing and producing the project. He also acted in a lead role in the production. With a cast of over 80 actors, the movie was shot between California and Montana. Some of the production’s scenes were filmed at the Little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana; at Brown Airfield in San Diego; at the National Historic Landmark – Rancho Guajome Adobe in Vista, California; and was the first movie shot on the aircraft carrier, USS Midway after it first arrived to San Diego to be converted to a museum. The movie became a full-length independent film released to the film festival circuit in 2007.
Unfortunately, like over a thousand other production companies operating at the time in Southern California, Manorge Productions did not survive America’s Great Economic Depression of the 21st Century (2008-2010).
Hruby left the United States permanently at the beginning of 2010, gaining residency in France.
Hruby has recently returned to writing prose with the release of another non-fiction book entitled “The Battle of San Pasqual – Search for John Cox.” This has been quickly followed by “Eyes of Blue – The Last Victim of Jack-the-Ripper” and “Midnight on the Custer Battlefield.” All three books are available at Amazon.com and local bookstores.
He is currently working on a 2022 release for another non-fiction work, “Bordeaux – Of Wine and Dark Tales.”
As an international historian, Hruby’s passion for history first started at the age of eighteen, researching the battle of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. Born and raised in San Antonio, he was enthralled with the battle and much of Texas history. His own volunteered project, he spent six months researching the battle at the Alamo archives itself, located on the actual grounds of the Alamo.
Growing up as a history buff, he began serious studies and research many years later into Chaco, Canyon, New Mexico where the Ancient Anasazi Indians thrived at the peak of their civilization around 1000 A.D.. Hruby then began in the mid-1980’s, specializing in research studies of archaeological use of infrared satellite imagery, used to discover prehistoric road systems and village sites. Hruby spent many years visiting and studying Chaco, often conferring with archaeologists and historians there.
By 1990, Hruby took the years of site-location research from Chaco and applied them to an 1846 Mexican War battlefield in San Pasqual, California. Hruby would head the famous San Pasqual Battlefield Site Location Project (http://www.sanpasqual.org), a project that extended over twelve years of academic and scientific research into locating the exact locations of the battle. His research would later rewrite the history of the battle as it was known including never before known sites directly related to the battle.
In later years, Hruby eventually became founder and CEO of Dig France, a French corporation specializing in private archaeological digs in France. During his overseeing of an archaeological excavation at Chateau Lemonie du Maupa in 2013, his historical research in Dordogne, France involving the finding of a possible Roman road, led to the discovery of a completely unknown, suspected Roman grand-villa measuring nearly 900-1000 meters long.
Hruby’s collective skills as a research historian also eventually led to the creation of Bordeaux Ghosts Tours which combined the teaching of history and mythologies of ancient France with people from all over the world.
Today, Hruby remains largely reclusive. He does appear for occasional readings and lectures to organizations across the world based on his time and availability.
Photographic Archives
