Jaroslav Macháček
Czech academic and translator (1929–2026)
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Jaroslav Macháček (15 November 1929 – 10 June 2026) was a Czech academic and translator.
Life and work
Macháček was born in Olomouc on 15 November 1929. He earned a doctorate at the Palacký University Olomouc in 1953, and began teaching at the university soon after. He specialized in English morphology, syntax, phonology, and historical grammar. He also co-edited the collected papers of Czech linguist Ivan Poldauf.[1]
During the communist-era in the 1970s, he lost his teaching position for political reasons and was banned from academic work. He spent these years working as a boiler operator at the University Hospital.[2]
After the fall of communism in 1989, he returned to the university at the request of his former student and then-rector, Josef Jařab. He served as Vice-Rector, helping to rebuild the university and regain its academic standing. He was awarded the City of Olomouc Prize in 1999.[3]
Macháček died on 10 June 2026, at the age of 96.[4]