Prague, Oct 12 (CTK) – The Czech Mind national prize, which the government annually bestows on an outstanding academic, will go to Professor Martin Hilsky, a translator and expert in William Shakespeare’s work, this year, the cabinet decided yesterday.
Hilsky was nominated for the prize by the Government Council for Research, Development and Innovations in early September.
Hilsky, 72, has translated the whole work of Shakespeare, including all his plays and Sonnets, into Czech.
In 2001, he was granted the honorary membership of the Order of the British Empire for his contribution to spreading English literature in the Czech Republic.
In 2011, the president decorated Hilsky with a Medal of Merit in the fields of culture and education. In the same year, Hilsky won a State Prize for his achievements as a translator.
Hilsky teaches English literature at the Faculty of Arts of Prague’s Charles University, and at the same faculty of the South Bohemian University in Ceske Budejovice.
In the past, he also worked at universities in Britain and the USA.
The Czech Mind (Ceska hlava) national prize is the country’s highest decoration for academics. Carrying a financial award of one million crowns, it has been bestowed for extraordinary live achievements in the area of research, development and innovations.
It has been awarded since 2002. Its previous winners include the late world-renowned chemist Antonin Holy and oncologist Pavel Klener.
($1=23.856 crowns)
