Vojtech Zamarovský
Encyclopedia
Vojtech Zamarovský was a popular Slovak
writer of historical non-fiction
literature. He also translated from English, German, French and Latin.
Zamarovský was not only a members of Communist party (1947-1952), but also from 1962 also a paid informant of communist secret police
StB
.
After studying law and economics in Bratislava
and Prague
, Zamarovský moved to Prague and worked in several state offices. From 1956 on he worked only as a writer. His books concentrated on the life of ancient Mediterranean
nations. He wrote both in the Slovak and Czech languages. Zamarovský became immensely popular in Czechoslovakia
, and his works were also translated abroad.
During his final years he suffered from Parkinson's disease
, and spent the last two months of his life in a coma
.
TV series (13 episodes):
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
writer of historical non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
literature. He also translated from English, German, French and Latin.
Zamarovský was not only a members of Communist party (1947-1952), but also from 1962 also a paid informant of communist secret police
Secret police
Secret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian political regime....
StB
STB
STB is an acronym that can mean:* Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus – Bachelor of Sacred Theology* Set-top box – a television device that converts signals to viewable images* Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP -- a law firm...
.
After studying law and economics in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
and Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Zamarovský moved to Prague and worked in several state offices. From 1956 on he worked only as a writer. His books concentrated on the life of ancient Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
nations. He wrote both in the Slovak and Czech languages. Zamarovský became immensely popular in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, and his works were also translated abroad.
During his final years he suffered from Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
, and spent the last two months of his life in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
.
Major works
Books (with literal English translations):- Bohovia a hrdinovia antických bájí (1969) [Gods and heroes of ancient myths] - a dictionary of ancient Greek and Roman mythology
- Bohovia a králi starého Egypta (1986) [Gods and kings of ancient EgyptAncient EgyptAncient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
] - history of ancient Egypt - Dejiny písané Rímom (1971) [History written by RomeAncient RomeAncient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
] - history of the Roman EmpireRoman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean.... - Grécky zázrak (1974) [The Greek wonder] - history of ancient GreeceAncient GreeceAncient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
- Ich veličenstvá pyramídy (1977) [Their Majesties, the pyramidEgyptian pyramidsThe Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt.There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008. Most were built as tombs for the country's Pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.The earliest known Egyptian pyramids are found...
s] - on Egyptian pyramids - Na počiatku bol Sumer (1966) [At the beginning, there was SumerSumerSumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age....
] - history of the Sumerians - Objavenie Tróje (1962) [The discovery of TroyTroyTroy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
] - history of archaeological excavations in Troy and an explanation of old Greek epics and mythology - Vzkriesenie Olympie (1978) [Resurrection of OlympiaOlympia, GreeceOlympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad , the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC...
] - history of the Olympic Games - Za siedmimi divmi sveta (1960) [Quest of the Seven WondersSeven Wonders of the Ancient WorldThe Seven Wonders of the World refers to remarkable constructions of classical antiquity listed by various authors in guidebooks popular among the ancient Hellenic tourists, particularly in the 1st and 2nd centuries BC...
of the World] - description of ancient monuments and of the corresponding cultures - Za tajemstvím říše Chetitů (1961) [Quest of the Mystery of the Empire of the HittitesHittitesThe Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
] - a homage to Bedřich HroznýBedrich HroznýBedřich Hrozný was a Czech orientalist and linguist. He deciphered the ancient Hittite language, identified it as an Indo-European language and laid the groundwork for the development of Hittitology. Though of Czech origin, he published his work in German or French.Hrozný was born in Lysá nad...
, who was the first to decipher Hittite languageHittite languageHittite is the extinct language once spoken by the Hittites, a people who created an empire centred on Hattusa in north-central Anatolia...
(therefore the book was written in Czech first)
TV series (13 episodes):
- Veľké civilizácie staroveku [Great Civilizations of Ancient Times]