Václav Cílek
Encyclopedia
Václav Cílek is Czech
geologist
, climatologist, writer
, philosopher, science popularizer and translator of Tao
and Zen
texts.
, where his father worked as a geologist. From 1969 to 1970, he studied at a high school in Tanzania. Later he continued his studies at the Mining Technical School in Příbram
(1970–1974). In 1979 he graduated in geology from the Charles University in Prague
. Since 1980, he works in Geologic Institute of Czech Academy of Sciences and specializes on geology of Cenozoic Era. He also explores interactions between environment and civilization. In 2004, he became the director of the Geologic Institute.
Cílek also published several popularization books and many articles in journals and newspapers. During his career, he collaborated with Hospodářské noviny
, Lidové noviny
, Mladá fronta DNES
, Mladý svět
, Právo
, Reflex
, Respekt
, Czech Television
, Czech Radio etc. He was a co-creator of the TV series about caves of the Czech Republic
, called Podzemní Čechy (The Underground Czechia, 2001).
In 2004, Cílek was awarded Tom Stoppard
Prize for his books Krajiny vnitřní a vnější (2002) and Makom: Kniha míst (2004). Additionally, he was named Laureate by the Minister of Ecology for "valuable contribution to the popularization of Czech science, especially geology and climatology" (2007). In 2009, he was awarded the Václav Havel
Foundation VIZE 97 Prize
.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
, climatologist, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, philosopher, science popularizer and translator of Tao
Tao
Dao or Tao is a Chinese word meaning 'way', 'path', 'route', or sometimes more loosely, 'doctrine' or 'principle'...
and Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
texts.
Biography
In his youth, he moved to TanzaniaTanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, where his father worked as a geologist. From 1969 to 1970, he studied at a high school in Tanzania. Later he continued his studies at the Mining Technical School in Příbram
Príbram
Příbram is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic with a population of 35,147. The city is located on the Litavka river and the foothills of Brdy, 60 kilometers south-west of Prague, the country's capital...
(1970–1974). In 1979 he graduated in geology from the Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
. Since 1980, he works in Geologic Institute of Czech Academy of Sciences and specializes on geology of Cenozoic Era. He also explores interactions between environment and civilization. In 2004, he became the director of the Geologic Institute.
Cílek also published several popularization books and many articles in journals and newspapers. During his career, he collaborated with Hospodářské noviny
Hospodarske noviny
Hospodarske noviny is name of two newspapers, written without diacritics:* Hospodářské noviny in the Czech Republic* Hospodárske noviny in Slovakia...
, Lidové noviny
Lidové noviny
Lidové noviny is a daily newspaper published in the Czech Republic. It is the oldest Czech daily. Its profile is nowadays a national news daily covering political, economic, cultural and scientific affairs, mostly with a centre-right, conservative view...
, Mladá fronta DNES
Mladá fronta DNES
Mladá fronta Dnes, also known as MF DNES or simply Dnes , is the second most sold daily newspaper in the Czech Republic. Its name could be translated into English as Youth Front Today...
, Mladý svět
Mladý Svet
Mladý Svět was a magazine published in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. It contained editorials, comics and other works...
, Právo
Právo
Právo is a Czech daily newspaper, the third most sold in the country. It emerged following the Velvet Revolution, when some editors of the daily Rudé právo founded a new company unaffiliated with the Czechoslovak Communist Party but taking advantage of the existing reader base.Today, the paper is...
, Reflex
Reflex (magazine)
Reflex is a Czech weekly magazine focusing on political, social and cultural topics. It was founded in 1990 and is currently owned by the Swiss media corporation Ringier. It is one of the Czech Republic's most controversial and widely read social-political magazines; its print circulation of 60,000...
, Respekt
Respekt
Respekt is a weekly newsmagazine in the Czech Republic, reporting on domestic and foreign political and economic issues, as well as on science and culture....
, Czech Television
Czech television
Czech television may refer to:*Television in the Czech Republic*Česká televize...
, Czech Radio etc. He was a co-creator of the TV series about caves of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, called Podzemní Čechy (The Underground Czechia, 2001).
In 2004, Cílek was awarded Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
Prize for his books Krajiny vnitřní a vnější (2002) and Makom: Kniha míst (2004). Additionally, he was named Laureate by the Minister of Ecology for "valuable contribution to the popularization of Czech science, especially geology and climatology" (2007). In 2009, he was awarded the Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
Foundation VIZE 97 Prize
The VIZE 97 Prize
The VIZE 97 Prize is an international prize awarded to significant thinkers by the Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation VIZE 97...
.
Selected bibliography
- 1985: Heavy Mineral Accumulations in Coastal Mozambique
- 1995: Podzemní Praha: Soupis podzemních objektů hlavního města a vybraná bibliografie, ISBN 80-85304-34-1
- 1997: Píseň pro odcházející duši
- 2002: Krajiny vnitřní a vnější: texty o paměti krajiny, smysluplném bobrovi, areálu jablkového štrůdlu a také o tom, proč lezeme na rozhlednu, ISBN 80-86569-29-2
- 2003: Střední Čechy: příroda, člověk, krajina, ISBN 80-86569-40-3 (coauthored by Vojen Ložek and Jarmila Kubíková)
- 2003: Velká kniha o klimatu Zemí koruny české, ISBN 978-80-86367-34-7 Jiří Svoboda, Zdeněk Vašků; (coauthored)
- 2004: Makom: kniha míst, ISBN 80-86569-91-8
- 2004: Vstoupit do krajiny. O přírodě a paměti středních Čech, ISBN 80-86569-58-6 (coauthored by Vojen Ložek and Pavel Mudra)
- 2004: Prague Between History and Dreams. US: Xlibris. ISBN 1-4134-3192-5
- 2005: Tichý břeh světa. ISBN 80-7363-036-2. (photography by Hana Rysová)
- 2005: Střední Brdy ISBN 80-7084-266-0, (ed.)
- 2006: Tsunami je stále s námi: eseje o klimatu, společnosti a katastrofách, ISBN 80-86851-22-2
- 2007: Nejistý plamen: Průvodce ropným světem. ISBN 978-80-7363-122-2. (coauthored by Martin Kašík)
- 2007: Borgesův svět. ISBN 978-80-7363-109-3
- 2008: Dýchat s ptáky: Obyčejné texty o světle paměti, pravdě oblaků a útěše míst ISBN 978-80-7363-202-1
- 2008: Podzemní Praha: Jeskyně, doly, štoly, krypty a podzemní pískovny velké Prahy, ISBN 978-80-7281-346-9. (photography by Milan Korba and Martin Majer)
- 2009: Orfeus: Kniha podzemních řek, ISBN 978-80-7363-244-1
- 2009: Krajina z druhé strany, ISBN 978-80-903759-5-6.
- 2010: Jak to vidí Václav Cílek, ISBN 978-80-86212-84-5 (interviews on Czech Radio)
- 2010: Archeus: Fragment radostné vědy o trpaslících ISBN 978-80-7363-290-8