Josef Förster

Josef Förster is a researcher and department head at the Centre for Classical Studies, Institute of Philosophy, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague. He holds a Ph.D. in Medieval and Neo-Latin Studies from Charles University (2008) and has served as the head of the Department of Neo-Latin Studies since 2016. His academic career spans over two decades of dedicated research in Neo-Latin literature and related fields.

His educational background includes:

• 1985-1989: Gymnázium Kolín
• 1989-1990: Charles University, Prague (Czech language and literature - Russian language)
• 1990-1997: Charles University, Prague (Czech language and literature - Latin language, Mgr.)
• 2001-2007: Charles University, Prague (Latin medieval studies and Neo-Latin studies, Ph.D.)

Dr. Förster's research focuses on Neo-Latin literature in the Czech lands, particularly Baroque humanism. His work encompasses critical editions, translations, and interpretations of selected Neo-Latin genres including travelogues, dramas, scholarly correspondence, and poetry. He has made significant contributions to the study of Baroque drama in the Czech lands and historia litteraria in 18th century Bohemia. His research also extends to specialized medical terminology in Latin, where he has taught at the 2nd Medical Faculty of Charles University since 2000.

His scholarly output demonstrates a strong trend toward analyzing Neo-Latin dramatic works, particularly Jesuit and Franciscan theater of the Baroque period. He has published extensively on Czech contributions to Neo-Latin drama, including works on Johann Christian Alois Mickl, Carolus Kolczawa, and Václav (Remedius) Prutký. His research often bridges historical, literary, and cultural analysis of Central European Latin literature, with particular attention to the reception of classical models in Bohemian contexts.

Among his scientific recognitions:

• 2001-2002: Honorable mention in the prose category of the J. Levý Competition for translation of Arbeo of Freising's "Life and Martyrdom of St. Jimram"

Dr. Förster has served as principal investigator for several significant research projects, including the current GAČR 22-00477S grant (2022-2024) on "Early Modern Bohemia Litteraria: Genre Differentiation of Neo-Latin Literature in the Czech Lands." He has also contributed to the critical edition project of Johann Peter Cerroni's "Scriptores Regni Bohemiae." His international collaborations include research stays in Vienna, Rome, Berlin, Munich, Graz, Dresden, and Leipzig.

He has been actively involved in academic service, serving as Secretary of the Centre for Classical Studies (2005-2016) and member of various committees. He regularly participates in international conferences and has presented research in multiple countries across Europe. His department maintains an active research agenda in Neo-Latin literature, historia litteraria, and related fields, contributing significantly to the understanding of Latin literary production in the Czech lands from the late humanism through the Enlightenment.