Rudolf Chmel

• Name — Rudolf Chmel • Order — Minister of Culture of Slovakia • Term Start — 16 October 2002 • Term End — 24 May 2005 • Predecessor — Milan Kňažko • Successor — František Tóth • Term Start1 — 5 April 2006 • Term End1 — 4 July 2006 • Predecessor1 — František Tóth • Successor1 — Marek Maďarič • Born — 11 February 1939 • Birthplace — Plzeň, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) • Party — Alliance of the New Citizen (2002-2009) Most–Híd (2009-)

He graduated in 1961 in Slovak literature and language at the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in Bratislava. He received the academic title DrSc. in 1992 and became an associate professor in 1993. Between 1993 and 2000 he was the president of the Open Society Foundations in Bratislava. He taught at Charles University in Prague and at the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in Bratislava. From 1961 he worked for the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava, initially at the Slovak Literature Institute, later, in 1964, he moved to the World Literature and Languages Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. He became a researcher at the Literary Studies Institute in 1973. Between 1972 and 1982 he was an editor of the journal Slovenská literatúra (Slovak Literature) and from 1982 he was secretary of the Czechoslovak Writers Union. In 1988 he became editor-in-chief of journal Slovenské pohľady (Slovak Views).

• Illustration — Chmel (left) and Alexander Dubček at an event in Budapest, July 1990 From June 1990 until 1992 he served as the last Czechoslovak ambassador to Hungary. After his return, he went back to the Slovak Academy of Science. In the 2002 elections he was elected Member of the Parliament for the Party Alliance of the New Citizen, which nominated him for the Minister of Culture. He held this position from 16 October 2002 to 24 May 2005 and 5 April 2006 to 4 July 2006. From 2009 to 2014 he was the vice-president of Most–Híd. In 2009 he was one of those who got the Award for Good Neighborhood and Understanding.

He speaks Czech, Slovak, Russian, Hungarian, Polish and German. He is married and has four children.

Rudolf Chmel is recorded with the occupation philologist. Recorded as diplomat, pedagogue, writer, politician and philologist.