Jan Slavomír Tomíček

Jan Slavomír Tomíček (1806, in Branná by Jilemnice – 28 April 1866, in Prague) was a Czech writer, journalist, historian and ethnologist. He graduated from a gymnasium in Jičín and studied philosophy in Prague. He did not graduate, though, as he left in an effort to become an independent writer. Very soon, however, he had to start giving private lessons to earn enough money. He was a member of the fellowship of the magazine Čechoslav; he also contributed to Světozor published by Pavel Josef Šafařík, and in 1834 he became an editor of Pražské noviny (The Prague News). He was invited to join this newspaper by F. L. Čelakovský. A criticism of the Russian tsar, written by the liberal-minded Tomíček, cost Čelakovský his position. Tomíček contributed to other magazines as well, and also translated. He published several books, of which Doba prwního člowěčenstwa (The Age of the First Man, publ. by Matice česká, 1846) in particular outraged the censorship and the Archbishop of Prague so much that it threatened the existence of its publishing house. In 1848 he became a substitute teacher of the Czech language at Charles University and an associate member of the Royal Czech Society of Sciences. However, he never attained a university professorship, which, together with facing poverty, made him feel disillusioned. Sadly, the Czechs remember him chiefly for his famous criticism of Máj, published in Česká wčela (The Czech Bee) in 1836.