Rudolf Dvořák’s Stay in Leipzig and Munich in the Light of Correspondence with Vojta Náprstek: a Selection of Documents

Abstract

Rudolf Dvořak, one of the founding fathers of Czech Oriental studies, began his academic career as a student at the Faculty of Arts in Prague. In 1882 and 1883 he studied at the University of Leipzig, where he also successfully completed his dissertation. After finishing his studies, he continued his career at the Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague. He focused mainly mainly on the Chinese and Middle Eastern regions and translated many texts from these areas. Dvořak’s attitudes were under influence of patriotism and nationalism. This mindset, together with a focus on the study of Oriental studies, led Dvořak to Vojta Naprstek, who espoused the ideas of emancipation of the Czech nation and showed an interest in distant lands and cultures. The two men also shared the same attitude to science and scholarship in general. They wished to elevate Czech learning to a competitive level on the world stage and shared strong sense of patriotism. These two intellectuals were in active contact during Dvořak’s studies in Germany. Dvořak share his opinions, experiences and attractions from Leipzig and Munchen. In letters he described situation at university and information about its professors. This study brings an edition of these letters.