Jaroslav Olša Jr. Explained

Jaroslav Olša Jr.
Predecessor3:Tomáš Smetánka
Alma Mater:Charles University, Prague
Children:Sebastián Olša
Parents:Jaroslav Olša, Vlasta Horáková
Spouse:Michaela Vovková
Nationality:Czech
Birth Place:Prague, Czechoslovakia
Birth Date:4 August 1964
Successor4:Václav Jílek
Successor3:Tomáš Husák
Successor2:Jana Šedivá
Predecessor4:Jaroslav Siro
Predecessor2:Josef Rychtar
Office1:Consul General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles
Predecessor1:Pavol Šepeľák
Termend4:September 2006
Termend3:July 2014
Termend2:December 2018
Termstart4:May 2000
Termstart3:August 2008
Termstart2:July 2014
Termstart1:December 2020
Office4:Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Republic of Zimbabwe
Office3:Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Republic of Korea
Office2:Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Republic of the Philippines
Profession:Diplomat and writer

Jaroslav Olša Jr. (born 4 August 1964) is a Czech diplomat and writer. His posts include those of Ambassador to Zimbabwe (2000–2006), South Korea (2008–2014)[1] and the Philippines (2014–2018).[2] and Consul General in Los Angeles (2020–current);[3] He is author of books on history, art and literature of Asia and Africa.

He is a science fiction editor, translator and bibliographer.[4] He is also the author of books and articles on history, culture and literature of Asia and Africa and historical relations of the non-European countries with the Czech Lands. He has also widely published about science fiction and edited over a dozen anthologies of Czech and international science fiction. He has published in a wide-range of publications such as Czech edition of National Geographic, Nový Orient (New Orient), Světová literatura (World Literature), Mezinárodní politika (Foreign Policy), Mezinárodní vztahy (International Relations). Contributor to various Czech and foreign-language encyclopedias. He was also a curator of art exhibitions, member of the jury of 2011 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, and initiated numerous cultural exchanges and activities.

Science fiction

Since his childhood he liked science fiction. He became active in science fiction fandom in Czechoslovakia in 1983 and soon became one of the driving forces of the unofficial movement. He translated from Polish and English, wrote articles on science fiction and reports. He also attended many science fiction conventions in Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Soviet Union, Britain during the 1980s, including Worldcon in Brighton in 1987. After being introduced by Czech SF writer Josef Nesvadba, he joined WORLD SF and participated in a couple of its meetings, e. g. in Fanano (Italy) in 1986 and Chengdu (China) in 1991. In 1986 he started major Czechoslovak fanzine Ikarie XB named after the most influential Czech SF film Ikarie XB-1. Fanzine saw four yearly issues until 1989, and after the Velvet Revolution turned into the first Czechoslovak/Czech sf monthly magazine Ikarie (published 1990-2010, now published as XB-1) of which he was for a time assistant editor. Together with Alexandre Hlinka he also started a small science fiction publisher - AFSF - which was active until the late 1990s and published more than 70 titles, including such as selections of the best stories by Harry Harrison, or Frederik Pohl, and novels by Robert Silverberg, Robert A. Heinlein, Norman Spinrad, Rudy Rucker, Kim Stanley Robinson and also a few original anthologies of both Anglo-American as International science fiction (see bibliography).

Olša's most important role in science fiction studies has been as co-editor of the Czech Encyklopedie literatury science fiction (Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Literature, 1995) with Ondřej Neff, and his chapbook on forgotten Czech-American science fiction writer Miles J. Breuer, also known under Czech version of his name Miloslav J. Breuer. He has also edited about a dozen science fiction anthologies, among them the first anthologies of Czech science fiction in English (published in India), Ndebele, Korean and Japanese. He has contributed to Czech, Polish, Russian, French, German, British and US science fiction publications, also to Locus and Foundation: The Review of Science Fiction; has compiled bibliographies of Czech and Slovak fanzines; and has written entries to Clute's Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1993).

Literary works

Non-fiction

Anthologies

Awards and decorations

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Former Ambassadors and chargé d'affaires. www.mzv.cz. January 3, 2021. December 5, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201205121030/https://www.mzv.cz/seoul/en/about_the_embassy/former_ambassadors/former_ambassadors_and_charge_d_affaires.html. live.
  2. Web site: Ambassador Jaroslav Olša, jr. – 2014 – 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220629203321/https://www.mzv.cz/manila/en/about_the_embassy/the_ambassador/ambassadors_in_history/index_1.html . June 29, 2022 . January 3, 2021 . www.mzv.cz.
  3. Web site: consul general Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles. www.mzv.cz. January 3, 2021. January 15, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210115145615/https://www.mzv.cz/losangeles/en/about_us/consul_general/index.html. live.
  4. Web site: Authors : Olša, Jaroslav Jr : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia. www.sf-encyclopedia.com. January 3, 2021. November 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201110094011/http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/olsa_jaroslav_jr. live.
  5. Web site: Catalog . interkom.vecnost.cz . 2021-02-18 . June 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624195524/http://interkom.vecnost.cz/pdf/Amazing_Breuer-Katalog_(clr).pdf?fbclid=IwAR1YcewG4Bxsd3psvGcIEQOUjIhq9aHkJjeB-NpMOeR3OUR9arLB5M_kGlM . live .
  6. Web site: Info . PDF . Mzv.cz . 2021-02-18 . January 28, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210128163641/https://www.mzv.cz/public/df/af/e8/1059793_993657_NNSC_Book_Olsa.pdf . live .
  7. Web site: First Czechs in Korea . Embassy of the Czech Republic in the Republic of Korea . Mzv.cz . 2011-12-29 . 2021-02-18 . January 28, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210128003057/https://www.mzv.cz/seoul/en/bilateral_relations/czech_korean_encounters_through_the/first_czechs_in_korea.html . live .
  8. Web site: Diplomats honored for championing democracy in Zim. 12 July 2011. The Zimbabwean. 3 January 2021. 29 June 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220629203357/https://www.thezimbabwean.co/2011/07/diplomats-honored-for-championing-democracy/. live.
  9. Web site: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte confers the Order of Sikatuna Rank of Grand Cross, Gold Distinction on outgoing Czech Ambassador to the Philippines Jaroslav Olša Jr. who paid his farewell call on the President at the Malacañan Palace on 23 November 2018. – Presidential Communications Operations Office. 3 January 2021. 17 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200617154154/https://pcoo.gov.ph/photo_gallery/president-rodrigo-roa-duterte-confers-the-order-of-sikatuna-rank-of-grand-cross-silver-distinction-on-outgoing-czech-ambassador-to-the-philippines-jaroslav-olsa-jr-who-paid-his-farewell-call-on-the/. live.