[bibliotheca - an english version]

Douglas Adams Author of world famous pentalogy Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy, man behind the number 42, nihilistic huumorist. His characters such as paranoid android Marwin, two-headed president of the Galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox had become legends... As well as lot of hitchikers' rules or remarks.
Michal Ajvaz Czech writer - nearly surrealistic novels in which the borders of reality are discovered. His absurd short stories are full of beasts, strange animals, weird actions.
Brian W. Aldiss British sci-fi writer. My favourite book is Nonstop. He wrote a lot of perfect short stories too.
Isaac Asimov One of the 'fathers' of sci-fi literature. Series about Foundation and Robots had formed the trends in sf for a long time. Besides this he wrote a anormous amount of books about science, run a lot of antologies and worked for sf magazines.
Egon Bondy Czech philosopher and writer. He has been active in underground culture during communist regime, now he lives in Slovakia. His studies about history of philosophy are very interesting, so are the novels like 'Cybercomics' or 'Sklepní zápisky'.
Charles Bukowski American writer famous because of his strange life and work. His books are filled with boozing, fucking, unexpected flops and weird people. Main character in most of his books, Henry Chinaski, is infact Bukowski himself. Try Women, Hollywood or Ham on rye...
Michail Bulgakov Famous russion writer. His world famous novel Master and Margarita is combining philosophy, history and phantasmagoric view on Moscow in the soviet era. Even his other books are often very satirical.

		William Burroughs One of the beat generation. His scandalous life and literature experiments show us an uncommon person. Read about it in autobiographic novels Junkie or Queer. Books like Naked lunch and Nova express are one of the most wicked I've ever read.
		Karel Čapek In english speaking countries notoriously known because of the word 'robot' that was infact created by his brother Josef and that he just used in one of his plays (R.U.R.). But still his kind humour and good will are pleasing readers. He also warned against the risks of science without morality and the incoming war.
		Daniil Charms A russian absurd writer. His short stories are unique for the way they are describing crooked reality of stalinistic dictatorship he had to live in.
		James Hadley Chase English author of detective stories. Along with Chandler and Hammisham he abandoned the classic scheme and focused on the criminal. We often watch his course from the beginnig to (often) a dead-lock.
		Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky Russian classic was able to create in his novels incredible atmosphere, where the main characters are behaving odd and the climax is a tragedy. If you haven't read Crime and Punishment or The Brothers Karamazov then surely do it.
		Umberto Eco Italian historian and semiotist. When writing beletry he was taking an advantage of his large and various knowledge. And thus The Name of the Rose and even more The Foucault's Pendulum are full of exacting layers, mysterious allusions - you can never know whether you've understood it right or not. The newest one, Baudolino, is going for the top too.
		Dick Francis English detective writer. All the books have something in common with horse-racing, because Francis was a succesful jockey. His characters aren't supermen, but intelligent and honest.

Konstanty Idlefons Gałczyński A strange polish poet and playwright. I like the absurd miniature-plays made for the Green Goose Theatre.
William Gibson American sci-fi writer, one of the founders of cyberpunk. In many novels and short stories he is describing a dark vision of over-mechanized world. Computers, hackers, people on the edge... The brilliant atmosphere makes you believe.
Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol Russian writer and playwright. His massive irony is famous. He wasn't afraid to reveal all the problems he witnessed. Drama The Government Inspector mock the hypocrisy in the society.
Jaroslav Hašek Author of Good soldier Svejk, character that is often taken as a symbol of Czech - 'laughing beasts'. Svejk became worldwide known, but mostly just a little is known about Hasek himself and the rest of his works.
Karel Havlíček Borovský Writer and journalist. He was all life fighting with absolutistic regime, which he was attacking in the newspaper and books, great are e.g. Epigrams.
Robert Heinlein Legend of american sci-fi, he wrote a lot very different books. From militaristic (but not so good imho) Star Troopers, over Puppet Masters to exciting and complicated novels like Stranger in a Strange Land and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
Joseph Heller American writer, that described the absurdity of the war. In WW2 he fought in US Airforce and after the war he wrote about it a famous Catach 22.

		Aldous Huxley English sciencist and writer. He experimented with psychedelical herbs and LSD and did many researches on them. His experience is contained in the novels he wrote such as in anti-utopy Brave New World. Also essay on the halucinogens The doors of Perception is definitely worth reading.
		Eugene Ionesco French playwright had formed the new and unique style - absurd drama. Playing with words and ignoring common sense of a play he wasn't comprehended by the majority. But don't judge him too fast - there is a reason for it and ideas were just a bit hidden, but they were present for sure!
		Václav Jamek Writer, translator and journalist. Under his real name he published surrealistic poems, but maybe even more interesting are works he wrote under alias Eberhardt Hauptbahnhof such as 'Nedokončený kalendář' and 'Kniha básňů', that belong to the best of czech literature of 90's.
		Franz Kafka Visions of this man influenced many others. Depressions accompanied him all his life and so his works. Trial or Castle - in both books the main character had to fight with various obscure situations, he was trying but finally resigned and he lost.
		Stephen King The true king of modern horror. He has been able to keep high quality level although his bibliography counts to dozens of books. He's a master of fear, it's distinct in his short stories and novels as well.
		Jiří Kolář Czech artist and writer living for years in exile in France. His name became a synonym for a sort of technique. His poems are often combined with fine art. I personally adore 'Návod k použití' and diary 'Dny v roce'.
		Milan Kundera Maybe the most famous living czech author abroad. In his books we see a mixture of major questions and a mosaic of little everyday stories of men. The unbearable lightness of being could be a good example.

Ivan Landsmann A czech author living in Netherlands. He was a miner, and his novels are reflecting the dirty reality of miner's life, plus many strange stories, plus the emigration and what followed...
Stephen Leacock Canadian writer and humorist. Satirical tales that often parody various kinds of pulp literature, but sometimes are having more serious, social context. I haven't read the original - but I find the czech translation most brilliant with lot of funny neologisms.
Stanisłav Lem One of the most famous polish writers and probably the most sucessful sf writer in post-comunist countries. Why? One reason may be the nice play with the words, other is a new view on sf clichés - like the novel Solaris. His contemplation about futurology and new technologies published in Summa techonologiae show us his prodigious knowledge.
Henry Michaux A french writer, on the very first look seems pretty absurd, but later you come upon hidden meaning, very satyrical, very ironic, very witty.
Henry Miller American in Paris. In Tropic of Cancer he was able to truly describe bohemian underground in 30's Paris. Very scandalous book those days - lot of naturalism. Upcoming crisis could be recognised in way the characters were acting. No matter what were doing - dreaming, fucikng or cheating each other.
George Orwell He became famous because of books 1984 and Animal Farm, but he is one of biggest english essayist too. His political opinions were often criticised. Although especially Animal farm is an alegory demasking the truth about stalinism and whole communist revolution, Orwell was a socialist! But he was still a proud englishman and democrat. His experience from Spanish civil war were described in Homage to Catalonia.
C.D. Payne Diary of Nick Twisp Youth in revolt became a 'cult book' among the high school students, but I recommand it to everyone who passed through teenage - it's a good laugh.

		Terry Pratchett English writer - mostly famous for books about Discworld that have become bestsellers around the whole globe. It's not a typical heroic fantasy - it's much more fun. But bizzare characters like Librarian or Rincewind are spreading a serious message - check it out!
		Andrzej Sapkowski Maybe the most popular fantasy writer nowdays in Czech republic. Saga about 'Zaklínač' (could be translated... ehh... could not) is pulling down the walls of the genre - it's better to talk about novel describing personal dilemmas of various people on the background of big social and race changes. All set to an interesting fantasy world made with unseen precision.
		Jáchym Topol One of the few czech authors that was capable to make up a book commenting principal changes czech society got through after the fall of communism. In his novel Silver Sister (was translated to english) or shorter prose Angel (at least in german) is gray reality of upcoming 'capitalsm' connected with a deep mysteries and wicked creatures sneaking out of the sewerage. His poems are showing depth of depression...
		Vlasta Třešňák Czech musician and writer, also disident and emigrant. I was astonished by the novel 'Klíč je pod rohožkou' and a phantasmagoric short novel '...a pobíd koně ostružinou'.
		Kurt Vonnegut, jr. American writer reflecting in his novels our world and showing negative aspects of it and risks we are producing. No matter whether it's stupidity of war or ruthless science. I like most Slapstick, Cat's cradle and short stories Welcome to the Monkey House.
		Ivan Wernisch One of the most interesting czech modern poets. Too bad nothing was translated to english (I'm afraid).
		John Wyndham English sci-fi writer. His (post)apocalyptic novel Day of the Trifids really kicks ass.