Rudolf Chmel

Rudolf Chmel is a literary scholar, university teacher, commentator, diplomat and politician. Through his scholarly and public work he contributes to overcoming historical prejudices and building dialogue between Slovaks and Hungarians.

He was born on 11 February 1939 in Plzeň, from where he moved with his parents to Slovakia at the age of two. He studied Slovak and Russian language and literature at Comenius University in Bratislava. He linked his professional career with the Slovak Academy of Sciences, where he devoted himself to literary research from 1961.

He served as editor-in-chief of the journal Slovenské pohľady, director of the Institute of Slovak Literature of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and as a university teacher at Comenius University in Bratislava and Charles University in Prague.

From 1990 to 1992 he served as Czechoslovak ambassador to Hungary. Subsequently, from 1993 to 2000, he headed the Open Society Foundation. He was also editor-in-chief of the socio-political monthly OS. From 1994 to 1999 he was editor-in-chief of the joint literary supplement of the dailies SME, Gazeta Wyborcza, Lidové noviny and Magyar Hírlap.

Rudolf Chmel is the author of many academic studies, essays and books. In his works he deals with the history of Slovak literature, national identity, cultural stereotypes and relations between Slovaks and Hungarians. His well-known publications include Moja maďarská otázka (My Hungarian Question), Moje slovenské pochybnosti (My Slovak Doubts), Moje Česko-Slovensko (My Czecho-Slovakia) and Romantizmus v globalizme: Malé národy – veľké mýty (Romanticism in Globalism: Small Nations – Big Myths). He also compiled the volume Slovenská otázka v 20. storočí (The Slovak Question in the 20th Century), which was also published in Hungary and Poland.

In his works he offers a critical view of the historical experience of both nations, questions established stereotypes and stresses the need for mutual respect and understanding.

He also pursued these values in public and political life. He was a Member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, Minister of Culture and Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic for Human Rights and National Minorities.

He has received a number of important awards for his work. In 1996 he was awarded the Minority Prize of the Republic of Hungary. In 2009 he received the Award of the Foreign Ministers of the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Hungary for Understanding and Good Neighbourliness.

In June 2021 the President of the Slovak Republic Zuzana Čaputová awarded him the Order of Ľudovít Štúr, 1st Class, for outstanding merits in democracy and its development and in human rights and their protection.

Through his lifelong work and public engagement, Rudolf Chmel shows that mutual understanding is born of knowledge, open dialogue and respect for differences.

The 2026 Anton Srholec Freedom Award is conferred on Rudolf Chmel for his lifelong contribution to building an open society, protecting the rights of minorities, developing Slovak-Hungarian dialogue and fostering good relations between nations.