1 ABSTRACT Title: Calmness of Heart as Topos of the Epicurean Lifestyle Reflected in the Biographical Narration of Contemporaries Author: Pavlína Havlová Department: Oral History - Contemprorary History Supervisor: Mgr. David Bartoň Abstract: The proposed diploma thesis focuses on the presence of the Epicurean tradition in the biographical narration of selected contemporaries. The main emphasis is laid on substantiating relatedness between the thoughts that were formulated by the Greek thinker Epicurus at the turn of 3rd and 4th century BC and the values and lifestyle of the given individuals. The theoretical basis of the thesis is Epicurus's Letter to Menoeceus, which contains the explication of human life and ethics in particular. Based on the analysis of the letter, four general topics were defined (sobriety, moderation, internal and external lifestyle). These topics served as starting points for the interviews that also enabled their analysis and interpretation. The interviews were recorded using the oral history method, which facilitates individual approach to the scrutiny of biographical narration of selected contemporaries. Keywords: Epicurus, Epicurean, Ethics, Character, Sensibility (Temperance and Sobriety, Sophrosyne resp.), Happiness (Well-fare/Flourishing, Eudaimonia resp.), Moderation...