Michal Ajvaz

born 1949
novelist, poet, essayist and translator 

Michal Ajvaz was awarded Jaroslav Seifert Prize (2005)  for his novel Empty Streets / Prázdné ulice, for the same novel he was also nominated for the State Prize for Literature.  Most recently he was shortlisted for the prestigious literary prize Magnesia Litera in the prose category for his latest novel Voyage to the South / Cesta na jih.

Philosophically and aesthetically erudite writer, Michal Ajvaz constructs his texts as one would build a house – he piles the levels of his story up one on top of the other, which is similar to the concept of computer games or to he picture of a Dutch lady depicted on a can of cocoa, holding a can of cocoa with a picture of a Dutch lady... Michal Ajvaz makes philosophical excursions along with linguistic explanations, lectures on literary theory, scenes on the verge of phantasmagoria, bizarre findings from animal or plant world and mysterious journeys – all this actually follows a single path with a single purpose: destabilising the absolute trust in human way of exploring the world, the ideas we create about ourselves and the environment surrounding us. 

In the past couple of years the works by Michal Ajvaz have been published in seven countries (Russia, Poland, France, Hungary, Slovenia,  USA and Holland / Belgium), and publication is pending in four more (Croatia, Sweden, Bulgaria and Norway). 

The English translation of the book The Other City / Druhé město has ranked as the 6th most recommended book for the year 2009 in the editor´picks for sci-fi and fantasy kategory on Amazon. Also selected as one of the best books of 2009 by Time Out New York, and one of the best books of 2009 by Locus Magazine

More details here

Latest news (Summer 2010):
The author will also be represented in the Best European Fiction 2011, anthology to be published by Dalkey Archive Press, USA.