Miroslav Šašek was a painter, illustrator, and the author of the famous "This is…" series of books featuring cities like Paris, Rome, New York, and others. His books have charmed both adults and children for over fifty years. Originally an architect by profession, Šašek left Czechoslovakia in 1947 to study in Paris and never returned home. He later worked as an editor for Radio Free Europe in Munich. At the end of the 1950s, he presented his first illustrated guide for children, This is Paris, to London's Allen publishing house. He aimed to depict Paris "quite differently... as it truly is. As I saw it when I first arrived, and how I see it now…". According to his editor, not a single line needed to be changed in the book, which went straight to press. "This is Paris," complete with his illustrations and text, was published in London in 1959 and soon after by McMillan in New York. Following Paris, more cities and countries were covered. Šašek's books were translated into multiple languages and published in tens of thousands of copies across France, Italy, Germany, Spain, South America, Japan, Scandinavia, and beyond, earning him numerous awards. Since 2003, his books have been republished and experienced a global revival.

Šašek's books are not just excellent guides; they showcase cities as they are: enchanting and ordinary, filled with famous landmarks and the small moments of everyday life. He didn't forget about children, games and attractions, pets, typical professions, and local customs. He created his books in the middle of the places he wrote about: "You have to get to know these people, they have to get to know you… Then you start to see it through their eyes, and it's no longer just about buildings and landmarks, but life, ordinary life, and that's what makes these cities." Through his generous series about cities and countries, Miroslav Šašek has guided several generations of children and parents around the world. Now, after many years, his work returns to the Czech Republic.

Born in 1965, Šárka Grauová is a Czech university lecturer, specialist in Portuguese studies (Romanist), and a translator from Portuguese. She teaches at the Institute of Romance Studies at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague. Her scholarly interest is primarily in Portuguese literature. She completed her studies in English and Portuguese at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, in 1988. Grauová translates works from English and Portuguese, including those by G. Steiner, Machado de Assis, M. de Andrade, V. Ferreira, Ch. Buarque, and Lima Barreto. In collaboration with the publishing houses Torst and Triáda, she manages the Luso-Brazilian Library series, which publishes works by Portuguese and Brazilian authors.

Kateřina Klaricová worked at the Museum of Decorative Arts in the 1980s as a photography department specialist, where she prepared exhibitions and authored scholarly publications on photography, including works on František Drtikol. Following the political changes in 1989, she took on the role of cultural section manager at the presidential office. In 1992, she opened a teahouse in Prague's Celetná Street, and later, another in the Náprstkovo Museum, which she established as new, unconventional cultural centers. She is a writer of poetry, short stories, and fairy tales.

Krištof Kintera, son of Libuše Kinterová (née Pekárková) and graphic designer Vladimír Kintera, is a distinguished figure in the art community. His sister, Markéta Kinterová, is a visual artist, photographer, and author. Krištof's education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague was guided by Jiří Lindovský, Aleš Veselý, Michael Bielický, and Milan Knížák from 1992 to 1999, with further studies at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam from 2003 to 2004. Exhibiting solo since the mid-1990s, he has received three nominations for the Jindřich Chalupecký Award. Previously represented by Gallery Jiří Švestka, he was a key member of the theatrical-performative group Jednotka in the 1990s. In 1999, he was among the founders of Univerzální prostor NoD (now Experimentální prostor NoD) located above the ROXY music club, where he became the gallery's first curator. He regularly collaborates on the visual concepts and exhibitions of the 4+4 Days in Motion theater festival in Prague. He was the creative mind behind the visual concept for the 2006 One World documentary film festival. He also contributed to the controversial sculptural installation Entropa created by David Černý in 2009 for the Justus Lipsius building atrium in Brussels during the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Together with his life partner, Denisa Václavová, a cultural organizer and dramaturge of the 4+4 Days in Motion festival, they managed the ProLuka Gallery's art installation program in an undeveloped space in Prague's Vršovice from 2012 to 2017. Between 2009 and 2011, he led the sculpture studio at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. In 2007, he curated the collective exhibition Hrubý domácí produkt (Gross Domestic Product) in the exhibition space of the Prague City Gallery at the Municipal Library in Prague, where he also had one of his largest solo exhibitions, Results of Analysis, in 2012. Another significant Czech exhibition, Nervous Trees, took place five years later at the Galerie Rudolfinum in Prague. The 2010s brought opportunities for solo exhibitions at major international venues including the Museum Tinguely in Basel (2014), Kunstal Rotterdam (2015), and Kunsthalle Bratislava (2016). Krištof Kintera lives in Prague.

Josef Štefan Kubín was a writer and collector of oral folklore. Throughout his life, he collected and tirelessly recorded thousands of folk tales and anecdotes from the Podkrkonoší region, publishing them in their raw form and the robust dialect of the area. His vivid, original approach to language and storytelling of ordinary people was later similarly utilized by Bohumil Hrabal.

Magdaléna Platzová grew up in Prague, the daughter of writer Eda Kriseová and documentarian Josef Platz. After studying philosophy and a brief acting career, she worked as a journalist for Literární noviny and Respekt. She is the author of novels such as Aaron's Leap, The Anarchist, and Druhá strana ticha (The Other Side of Silence), two collections of short stories, and a children's book Toník a jeskyně snů (Toník and the Cave of Dreams). Since 2009, she has been living in Lyon with her husband and three children.

Sylva Fischerová studied French at a language school in Brno. In 1983, she began studying philosophy at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, and physics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University. In 1985, she switched to classical philology at the Faculty of Arts, where she graduated in 1991 with a thesis on Problém jednoty areté u Platóna (The Problem of Unity of Virtue in Plato) on the Protagoras dialogue. From 1995 to 2003, she completed her postgraduate studies there, culminating in her dissertation Mohou Múzy lhát? (Can the Muses Lie?). Since 1992, she has been working at the Institute of Greek and Latin Studies as a senior lecturer. Currently, she teaches ancient Greek literature, religion, and philosophy at Charles University. She is the author of eleven poetry collections and also writes short stories, novels, and children's books. For her book interview with philosopher Karel Floss, Bůh vždycky zatřese stavbou (God Always Shakes the Building) (Prague 2011), she received the Czech Literary Fund Foundation Award. In 2018, she became the first Poet Laureate of Prague.

František Tichý, born in Prague in 1969, has been working with children and teenagers since he was sixteen, initially as a summer camp and group leader. After earning his degree in biology and chemistry education from the Faculty of Science at Charles University, he co-founded the alternative high school Přírodní škola (Natural School) in 1993, which he still leads. He chronicled the school's unique beginnings in Přírodní škola – cesta jako cíl (Natural School - The Journey as the Destination) (Geum, 2012) and followed up with Výchova jako dobrodružství aneb to se v té Přírodní škole učíte na stromech? (Education as an Adventure, or Do You Learn in Trees at the Natural School?) (Geum, 2017), a reflection on his educational principles and experiences peppered with anecdotes from his time with students. Aside from his educational work, Tichý enjoys playing guitar, singing, cross-country skiing, swimming, hiking, and has interests in astronomy, biology, and modern physics. His writing, primarily aimed at young audiences, includes the samizdat Můj přítel Dominik (My Friend Dominik) (2008), blending Christian theology with fantasy, and Transport za věčnost (Transport to Eternity) (Baobab, 2017), a novel set during the Protectorate era that intertwines the stories of Jewish and Christian families against the backdrop of the Terezín ghetto and resistance activities, based on authentic historical materials. This novel won the Magnezia Litera award in 2018 and has been translated into Polish and Bulgarian.

František Tichý also edited the poetry collection Hned vedle bílá barva mráčků (The White Color of the Clouds Alongside) by Hanuš Hachenburg, a fourteen-year-old Terezín prisoner, with its second English-Czech edition winning first place for the most beautiful book of 2013. He processed the legacy of Josef Jan Kratochvíl, a resistance fighter and founder of radio exercises, in Dopisy z dáli (Letters from Afar). Both figures are featured in his novel Transport za věčnost. Tichý dedicated years to gathering materials on Petr Ginz, culminating in the biography Princ se žlutou hvězdou (The Prince with the Yellow Star) (Geum, 2014), awarded the Golden Ribbon for factual literature for children and youth. Additionally, he wrote and produced three plays with his students: Terezínské zvony (Terezín Bells), set in the Terezín ghetto; Návštěva z pravěku (A Visit from Prehistory), linking Petr Ginz's fate with his eponymous novel; and Podzimní příběh (An Autumn Story), set in Prague at the end of 1989.

Kateřina Šachová's works are known for their broad calligraphic appeal, masterfully playing with empty space and the fragility of lines. Her graphic design work stands out for its clean harmony and joyful expression. Kateřina has also authored several books for both children and adults. She is the creative force behind the trailblazing stationery brand, Papelote. https://www.papelote.cz/

Helena Beguivinová was born in 1951 in Prague and graduated high school in 1970. She spent the 1970s mostly in Brittany. Upon returning to Prague, she worked as a librarian at the Institute of Paint Materials while also engaging in technical translations from French and English. Gradually, she shifted to specialized translations in the humanities. Since the beginning of 1989, she has worked as a freelance translator and interpreter. From 1995, she has translated books, mainly in the humanities but also fiction. She has translated works by authors such as Raymond Aron, Jean-Claude Schmitt, René Girard, Arnold Van Gennep, Gilles Lipovetsky, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Fernand Braudel, Jean-Luc Chalumeau, Maurice-Ruben Hayoun, Marthe Robert, Evelyne Sullerot, Jacques Heers, Marc Bloch, Enzo Traverso, Renaud Camus, Daniel Pennac, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, Jorge Semprun, Jean-Michel Guenassia, Michel Pastoureau, and even a poetry anthology from the work of Edmond Jabès.

In 2005, her translation of Michel Rozenfarb's detective novel Chapeau! received a creative award from the Translators' Association. Her translation of the youth book Winter’s End by Jean-Claude Mourlevat was nominated for the Golden Ribbon award in 2008. In 2009, Helena Beguivinová received the Jan Vladislav Prize, awarded by the French Embassy for translations supported by the Šalda Program. In 2012, her translation of Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky was awarded the Magnesia Litera prize in the category of translated literature.

Luboš Drtina specializes in book and magazine design, illustration, poster creation, exhibition design, author's books, CD design, and free graphic work. Since 1990, he has been designing book layouts and illustrations for various publishers including Pražská imaginace, ERM, Eminent, Thyrsus, Paseka, Volvox Globator, Knihcentrum, Nakladatelství Franze Kafky, Mladá fronta, Akropolis, Academia, Argo, and others. He has graphically designed over 500 book titles. Since 2003, he has been publishing his own bibliophile edition. He has received awards in both domestic and international competitions and from 2003 to 2013, he worked as a lecturer in the studio of type design and typography at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague.

Hana Zahradníčková graduated in Romance Studies from the Faculty of Arts at Charles University. She has worked as an editor for the weekly magazine Respekt, ERM publishing, and Lidové noviny newspaper. She has translated works by Nicolas Bouvier, Henri Michaux, Alphonse Allais, and a number of comics including Ibicus by Pascal Rabaté, Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story by Frederic Peeters, Pascin by Joan Sfar, Marzi: A Memoir by Sylvain Savoia and Marzena Sowa, Back to Basics (Jean Ferri a Manu Larcenet), Super Monsieur Fruit (Nicolas de Crécy), and others. For Baobab publishing, she translated two comics by David B., The Armed Garden and Other Stories, and The Littlest Pirate, as well as the children's detective story Jefferson by Jean-Claude Mourlevat.

Veronika Holcová is a painter, illustrator, and graphic artist who graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. Her work is dreamlike and poetic, with references to romantic painting.

Radka Smejkalová is an accomplished translator and journalist with a rich educational background in English and American literature, journalism, and mass communication from the Faculty of Arts at Charles University, Suffolk University, and Hogeschool Utrecht. Her career began as a correspondent for Czech media in Belgium before she joined the editorial team of TÝDEN magazine. Currently, she freelances for Deník N. Radka's work garnered significant recognition in 2018 when she was nominated for a Journalism Award for her interview with Iranian writer Azar Nafisi. Since 2017, she has dedicated herself to literary translation, with a focus on Flemish and Dutch literature, translating notable authors like Tom Lanoye, Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, and Arthur Japin. Her translation of Stefan Hertmans' historical novel De Bekeerlinge (The Convert) earned her a nomination for the Josef Jungmann Prize in 2022.

Michaela Kukovičová graduated from the animation studio at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, where she now works as an assistant in the Illustration and Graphics Studio. She focuses on book and magazine illustration, animation, directing music videos and short films, and illustrating for websites. She leads children's art workshops in cities including Prague, Brno, Bratislava, Warsaw, Bucharest, and Vienna. Kukovičová collaborates with the graphic studio REDESIGN and publishes books with Baobab, Akropolis, Labyrint, and Albatros publishers. Her work breathes new life into the poetic and pop-art approach to using found materials, and is playful and often surprising. Michaela Kukovičová has won awards in competitions such as the Most Beautiful Book of the Year and the Golden Ribbon.

Jakub Plachý studied at the Studio of Illustration and Graphics at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. He is the author of educational author's books including Velká kniha čůrání (The Big Book of Peeing), Hakenkreuz in Ordinary Life, and Jak žijí dnes (How They Live Today), among others. His focus is on illustration, sign painting (Chyba & syn), and graphic design. He plays the drums and is one of the innovators behind the Xao gallery and bookstore. His latest publications include a book for young readers "Je Ráno" and a risograph-printed book for caffeine enthusiasts "Barista."