author
Jan Václav Novák
1853–1920
A Czech historian, literary historian, and teacher whose work helped preserve and explain Czech cultural history. His books range from studies of Comenius to broad surveys of Czech literature.
1 Audiobook
Jan Amos Komenský Johano Amos Comenius
by Jan Václav Novák
About the author
Born in Račice u Smiřic in Bohemia on December 21, 1853, he studied philosophy at the University of Prague and earned a doctorate in 1877. He then worked as a grammar-school teacher in places including Olomouc, Brno, Valašské Meziříčí, and later Prague.
Alongside teaching, he devoted himself to Czech history and literary history. He wrote on major cultural figures such as Jan Amos Comenius and produced wider works on older Czech literature and the development of Czech writing, helping make national literary history more accessible to readers and students.
He died in Prague on April 30, 1920. The available reference sources clearly describe him as a historian, literary historian, and educator; I could not confirm a suitable portrait image from the pages I checked, so none is included here.