Don Sparling
Co-founder, Brno Expat Centre
Don was born in Ottawa, Canada, and studied at the Universities of Toronto and Oxford before coming to Czechoslovakia in 1968, just weeks before the Warsaw Pact invasion. What began as a journey to another country became a lifelong connection with Brno.
In 1977, Don joined Masaryk University’s Department of English and American Studies, where he taught, led the department, directed the English-language theatre group Gypsywood Players and helped generations of students discover the world beyond the classroom. He also pioneered Canadian Studies in Czechoslovakia and played a key role in bringing Canadian Studies scholars together across Central Europe.
A passionate educator, author and cultural bridge-builder, Don is perhaps best known for English or Czenglish?, his much-loved guide to avoiding Czechisms in English. After decades at the university, he helped establish its Office for International Studies, making it easier for international students and teachers to find their place in Brno.
Today, as co-founder and chairman of the board of the Brno Expat Centre, Don continues to champion the idea that a city becomes richer when people from different backgrounds can feel at home in it. After all these years, he is not just a Canadian living in Brno, but one of the people who have helped make Brno the international city it is today.
Do you want to hear from Don himself? Read an entire interview with him here.
