Václav Cílek (born 11 May 1955) is Czech geologist,
climatologist
Climatology (from Greek , ''klima'', "place, zone"; and , ''-logia'') or climate science is the scientific study of Earth's climate, typically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of at least 30 years. This modern field of study ...
, writer, philosopher, science popularizer and translator of
Tao
''Tao'' or ''Dao'' is the natural order of the universe, whose character one's intuition must discern to realize the potential for individual wisdom, as conceived in the context of East Asian philosophy, East Asian religions, or any other phil ...
and
Zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
texts.
Biography
In his youth, Cílek moved to
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
, 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
Příbram (; german: Freiberg in Böhmen, ''Przibram'', or ''Pribram'', in 1939–1945 ''Pibrans'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 32,000 inhabitants. It is well known for its mining history, and mor ...
(1970–1974). In 1979 he graduated in geology from the
Charles University in Prague
)
, image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg
, image_size = 200px
, established =
, type = Public, Ancient
, budget = 8.9 billion CZK
, rector = Milena Králíčková
, faculty = 4,057
, administrative_staff = 4,026
, students = 51,438
, undergr ...
. Since 1980, he works in ''Geologic Institute of
Czech Academy of Sciences
The Czech Academy of Sciences (abbr. CAS, cs, Akademie věd České republiky, abbr. AV ČR) was established in 1992 by the Czech National Council as the Czech successor of the former Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and its tradition goes back ...
'' and specializes on geology of
Cenozoic Era
The Cenozoic ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterised by the dominance of mammals, birds and flowering plants, a cooling and drying climate, and the current configu ...
. He also explores interactions between environment and civilization. Between 2004 and 2012, he was the director of the Geologic Institute of Czech Academy of Science.
Cílek also published several popularization books and many articles in journals and newspapers. During his career, he collaborated with
Hospodářské noviny
''Hospodářské noviny'' (English: "Economic Newspaper") is a daily newspaper published nationally in the Czech Republic.
History and profile
''Hospodářské noviny'' was first published on 21 May 1990. The paper is headquartered in Prague an ...
,
Lidové noviny
''Lidové noviny'' (''People's News'', or ''The People's Newspaper'', ) is a daily newspaper published in Prague, the Czech Republic. It is the oldest Czech daily still in print, and a newspaper of record.Mladá fronta DNES
''Mladá fronta Dnes'' (''Young Front Today''), also known as ''MF DNES'' or simply ''Dnes'' (''Today''), is a daily newspaper in the Czech Republic.Mladý svět
''Mladý Svět'' (''Young World'') was a magazine published in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. It contained editorials, comics and other works. It is not very well known outside of the Czech Republic and Slovakia but inside these countries ...
,
Právo
''Právo'' (in Czech ''Right'' or ''Law'') is a Czech daily newspaper published in Prague, Czech Republic.Reflex,
Respekt
''Respekt'' is a Czech weekly newsmagazine published in Prague, the Czech Republic, reporting on domestic and foreign political and economic issues, as well as on science and culture.
History and profile
''Respekt'' was founded very soon a ...
,
Czech Television
Czech Television ( cs, Česká televize, italics=no ; abbreviation: ČT) is a public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting seven channels. Established after the Velvet Revolution in 1992, it is the successor to Czechoslov ...
,
Czech Radio
Český rozhlas (ČRo) is the public radio broadcaster of the Czech Republic operating since 1923. It is the oldest radio broadcaster in continental Europe and the second oldest in Europe after the BBC.
The service broadcasts throughout the C ...
etc. He was a co-creator of the TV series about caves of the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, called ''Podzemní Čechy'' (The Underground Czech Republic, 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
Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then ...
* 1985: ''Heavy Mineral Accumulations in Coastal Mozambique''
* 1995: ''Podzemní Praha: Soupis podzemních objektů hlavního města a vybraná bibliografie'',
* 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'',
* 2003: ''Střední Čechy: příroda, člověk, krajina'', (coauthored by Vojen Ložek and Jarmila Kubíková)
* 2003: ''Velká kniha o klimatu Zemí koruny české'', Jiří Svoboda, Zdeněk Vašků; (coauthored)
* 2004: ''Makom: kniha míst'',
* 2004: ''Vstoupit do krajiny. O přírodě a paměti středních Čech'', (coauthored by Vojen Ložek and Pavel Mudra)
* 2004: ''Prague Between History and Dreams.'' US: Xlibris.
* 2005: ''Tichý břeh světa''. . (photography by Hana Rysová)
* 2005: ''Střední Brdy'' , (ed.)
* 2006: ''Tsunami je stále s námi: eseje o klimatu, společnosti a katastrofách'',
* 2007: ''Nejistý plamen: Průvodce ropným světem''. . (coauthored by Martin Kašík)
* 2007: ''Borgesův svět''.
* 2008: ''Dýchat s ptáky: Obyčejné texty o světle paměti, pravdě oblaků a útěše míst''
* 2008: ''Podzemní Praha: Jeskyně, doly, štoly, krypty a podzemní pískovny velké Prahy'', . (photography by Milan Korba and Martin Majer)
* 2009: ''Orfeus: Kniha podzemních řek'',
* 2009: ''Krajina z druhé strany'', .
* 2010: ''Jak to vidí Václav Cílek'', (interviews on
Czech Radio
Český rozhlas (ČRo) is the public radio broadcaster of the Czech Republic operating since 1923. It is the oldest radio broadcaster in continental Europe and the second oldest in Europe after the BBC.
The service broadcasts throughout the C ...
)
* 2010: ''Archeus: Fragment radostné vědy o trpaslících''
* 2011: ''Krásná paní: Kameny domova'',
* 2012: ''Prohlédni si tu zemi'',