Jaroslav Kovanda

– Czechia

Born in Zlín in 1941, Kovanda is a poet, novelist, journalist and author of children’s books; he is also a sculptor, painter and visual artist. He studied the 11-year primary in Gottwaldov (now Zlín) and the School of Applied Arts in Uherské Hradiště. He made a living as a teacher, proofreader, stagehand, boilerman, stage manager and scenographer. Between 1997 and 2006 he published and edited Psí víno, the journal of new poetry, and since 2012 he has run the e-journal Herberk. He has published some twenty books, among others Za oknem Erben (Erben Outside Your Window, 1999), Žádný žebř (No Ladder, 2005), Gumový betlém (A Rubber Nativity, 2010), Kufr z pískovce (The Sandstone Suitcase, 2016), Moje přítelkyně žížala (My Earthworm Girlfriend, 2019), Cirkus Brüno (2019) and Za oknem Mitterrand (Mitterrand Outside Your Window, 2020).