Medailony, nekrology, vzpomínkové texty (psané třemi jubilanty a o třech jubilantech)

A significant element of the “memory of the discipline” consists of shorter texts written on the occasion of a life milestone or the death of important personalities, above all biographical portraits, obituaries and commemorative texts – that is, genres of scholarly discourse which are typically placed in journals in the sections with titles such as “Notices” (and the like). This contribution focuses on the biographical portraits and obituaries written by Vladimír Šmilauer, Karel Hausenblas and Alexandr Stich, and further on the countless texts written about them by other authors. Attention is devoted first to the characteristic features and means of these genres: text titles, composition, rhetoric, and evaluative, figurative and playful expressions. Following the description of these genres is a characterization of Šmilauer, Hausenblas, and Stich, three outstanding scholars and teachers: what they had in common, where they differed, how they spoke and wrote. Their human characteristics (e.g., personal selflessness) emerge very clearly, especially from the commemorative texts, often informal and emotional, published by their students, colleagues and friends.