Karel Havlíček Borovský

Who was Karel Havlíček Borovský?

Karel Havlíček Borovský was a Czech writer, poet, critic, politician, journalist, and publisher. He lived and studied at the Gymnasium in Německý Brod, and his house on the main square is today the Havlíček Museum. In 1838 he moved to Prague to study philosophy at Charles University and, influenced by the revolutionary atmosphere before the 1848, decided on the objective of becoming a patriotic writer. He devoted himself to studying Czech and literature. After graduating he began studying theology because he thought the best way to serve the nation would be as a priest. He was expelled, however, after one year for "showing too little indication for spiritual ministry".

After failing to find a teacher's job in Bohemia, he left for Moscow becoming a tutor in a Russian teacher's family: he was recommended by Pavel Josef Šafařík. He became a Russophile and a Pan-Slav, but after recognizing the true reality of the Russian society he took the pessimistic view that "Pan-Slavism is a great, attractive but feckless idea". His memories on the Russian stay were published first in magazines and then as a book Obrazy z Rus.