Jiří Peňás: He writes with spark!

Born in 1966 in Prostějov. He studied Czech language and history at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University. A journalist and traveller, he has worked for the newspapers Prostor, Mf Dnes, and Lidové noviny, as well as the weeklies Respekt and Týden; he is currently employed by the online daily Echo24 and the weekly Echo. He has published seven book-length collections of travel “expeditions” (2021–2025), as well as two selections of his journalism: Deset procent naděje (Ten Percent of Hope, 2001) and Pábení a naděje (Rambling and Hope, 2026). The website iLiteratura.cz praises his latest book with the words: “Peňás writes with spark and is able to pinpoint essential elements without burdening the reader with unnecessarily complex explanations. He can succinctly convey what makes a painting, a novel, or a film a unique work.”