Vojtech Zamarovský

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Vojtech Zamarovský (born October 5, 1919 in Zamarovce near Trenčín , † July 26, 2006 in Prague ) was a Slovak historian , writer and translator . He is considered to be the co-founder of non-fiction in Czechoslovakia . In his works he mainly devoted himself to the oldest human history and the popularization of prehistoric civilizations and myths .

Signature of Vojtech Zamarovský

Life

After attending grammar school in Trenčín, he moved to Prague after graduating from high school in 1938 and studied at the business school there. A year later he went to Bratislava , where he continued his correspondence course in economics and studied law, in which he received his doctorate in 1943. Until 1946 he worked for Slovenská národná banka (Slovak National Bank), until 1951 in the office of the head of government in Prague and until 1953 in the State Planning Office. In the same year he was forced to resign for political reasons. He got a job at the Státní nakladatelství krásné literatury ("State Publishing House of Fine Spiritual Literature"). He begins with translations of specialist books, but also fiction . After 1956 he started his own business as a translator and later published his own works. In 1977 he signed the Anticharta . Towards the end of his life, he developed Parkinson's disease and spent the last two months of his life in a coma.

Works

His first works are specialist books on economics, specialist articles, reviews , epilogues and studies. His first book was commissioned by the Mladé letá publishing house . It was a historical travelogue through Mesopotamia , ancient Egypt and ancient Greece . Further autodidactic study of works of art, buildings and history resulted in further historically popular works on ancient cultures. He created copies rather than mere descriptions and attached particular importance to aesthetics. In addition to historical architecture and art history, he also wrote books on ancient mythology, historical discoveries and descriptions of people, especially archaeologists such as Heinrich Schliemann . Each of his books deals with an interesting outline of history, whereby he knows how to present difficult topics graphically and interestingly.

He also translated from English, French, Latin and German and worked on several television productions on antiquity. His fourteen books have been translated into fourteen languages, of which a total of over two million copies have been sold.

German-language publications

Note: His (Slovak) first name "Vojtech" (German: "Adelbert" ) is mostly written as "Vojtěch" in German translations - as was originally also the case in Czech .

  • On the trail of the seven wonders of the world
  • Gods and heroes of antiquity
  • Gilgamesh
  • In the beginning there was Sumer. from d. Slovak. v. Dietrich Lokys. Scientific revised v. Kaspar Riemschneider ]. - Leipzig: Brockhaus, 1968.
  • In the footsteps of the Hittites
  • The seven wonders of the world

Czech / Slovak publications

  • 1960 - Za sedmi divy světa / Za siedmimi divmi sveta - [Seven Wonders of the World] Description of ancient monuments and their cultures
  • 1961 - Za tajemstvím říše Chetitů / Za tajomstvom ríše Chetitov - [Secret of the Chetit Empire] Homage to Bedřich Hrozný , who unraveled the Celtic cuneiform script
  • 1962 - Objevení Tróje / Objavenie Tróje - [Discovery of Troy] History of archaeological excavations in Troy and explanation of ancient Egyptian epics and mythology
  • 1966 - Na počátku byl Sumer / Na počiatku bol Sumer - [In the beginning there were the Sumerians] History of the Sumerians
  • 1969 - Bohové a hrdinové antických bájí / Bohovia a hrdinovia antických bájí - [Gods and heroes of ancient sagas] Directory of ancient mythology
  • 1971 - Dějiny psané Římem / Dejiny písané Rímom - [History written through Rome] History of the Roman Empire
  • 1974 - Řecký zázrak / Grécky zázrak - [Greek miracle] history of ancient Greece
  • 1975 - Gilgameš / Gilgameš - [Gilgamesch] literary adaptation of the Sumerian epic about Gilgamesh
  • 1977 - Jejich veličenstva pyramidy / I veličenstvá pyramídy - [Your Highness Pyramids], about Egyptian pyramids
  • 1978 - Vzkříšení Olympie / Vzkriesenie Olympie - [Origin of the Olympia] History of the Olympic Games
  • 1981 - Aeneas / Aeneas - [Aeneas] literary adaptation of Virgil's epic
  • 1986 - Bohové a králové starého Egypta / Bohovia a králi starého Egypta - [Gods and kings of ancient Egypt] History of ancient Egypt
  • 1987 - Sinuhet / Sinuhet - [Sinuhe] story about Sinuhe the Egyptians
  • 1888 - Velké civilizace starověku / Veľké civilizácie staroveku - [Great ancient civilizations] a thirteen-part documentary series on Slovak television
  • 1992 - Návrat do starověku / Návrat do staroveku - [return to prehistoric times]

Web links

See also

personal data
SURNAME Zamarovský, Vojtech
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Zamarovský, Vojtěch
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Slovak historian, writer and translator
DATE OF BIRTH October 5, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH Trenčín
DATE OF DEATH July 26, 2006
Place of death Prague