Alena Machoninová, a native of Prague, holds a degree in Russian Studies from the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, where she also earned her doctorate in Comparative Literature. Between 2006 and 2015, she served as a lecturer in Czech language and literature at Moscow State University. An expert in 20th and 21st century Russian literature, Machoninová specializes in unofficial Soviet poetry and modern prose. She co-translated the anthology Zloději všedních okamžiků (2015) (Thieves of Ordinary Moments) alongside Jan Machonin, showcasing poets from the Lianozovo School. Her contribution to literature extends to writing afterwards for works by acclaimed authors like Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Andrey Bitov, Helena Frischerová, and others, many of which she also translated. Her essays, academic papers, and literary critiques are published in various Czech and Russian journals and collections. In 2023, her original work "Hella" was published by Maraton.

Dora Kaprálová was born in 1975 in Brno. She studied dramaturgy and scriptwriting at JAMU. She made her prose debut with the novella A Winter Book About Love (2014). This first work was preceded by the book interview Návraty do Želar (2005) (Return to Želary) with Květa Legátová. In 2016, she released the fluid novel Berlin Diary (2016). Her most recent publication is the short story collection Ostrovy (2019). In 2016, she received the Czech-German Journalism Award for a radio essay and the Milena Jesenská Prize for reportage. Her books and texts have been translated into German, Hungarian, English, Polish, Croatian, Serbian, and Ukrainian. She lives with her family in Berlin.

Schaap studied at an art school in Kampen (Christelijke Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten) and later at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. One of her teachers was Peter van Hugten. Between 1995 and 1999 she studied at a writers' school in Amsterdam. In 1988, she illustrated her first children's book, Joppe, Julia and Jericho by Austrian writer Christine Nöstlinger. Schaap went on to illustrate numerous books for numerous authors, including Francine Oomen, Jacques Vriens, Mieke van Hooft, Thea Dubelaar and Janneke Schotveld. Other authors include Liesbeth van der Jagt, Paul Biegel and Astrid Lindgren. Her illustrations have also been published in children's magazines, such as Okki and Taptoe. In 2017, she made her debut as author with the book Lampje. For this book she won the Nienke van Hichtum-prijs, the Woutertje Pieterse Prijs and the Gouden Griffel. Schaap is the first author to win the Woutertje Pieterse Prijs with a debut novel. She became the second author to win these three awards for her book, Peter van Gestel being the first with his book Winterijs in 2001. In 2018, Schaap also won the Boekenleeuw award for Lampje. The book has been translated by Laura Watkinson into English as Lampie and the Children of the Sea. In 2020, the book was nominated for the Carnegie Medal award. This was the first time a translated book was nominated for the award.

Photo: Bonnita Postma

Ladislav Nagy began his higher education at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, where he studied English and philosophy from 1993 to 1999. In his doctoral studies, he specialized in contemporary British prose, leading seminars on the subject at the same faculty, initially with Prof. Martin Hilský and later on his own. He currently serves as the director of the Institute of English Studies at the Faculty of Arts, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. For several years, he headed the British section of the online portal iliteratura.cz, and his articles on contemporary British prose have been published in numerous journals. He has written several afterwords for translations from both British and American literature. Together with Martin Hilský, he co-edited the anthology of afterwords Od slavíka k papouškovi (From the Nightingale to the Parrot, Host, 2002), and later published a collection of essays inspired by London – Londýn stejný a jiný (London – The Same Yet Different, Arbor Vitae, 2007) as well as monographs In memoriam (In Memoriam, Academia and Episteme, 2015) and Palimpsesty, heterotopie a krajiny (Palimpsests, Heterotopias, and Landscapes, Karolinum, 2016). He has translated fiction (Kazuo Ishiguro, Barry Unsworth, Jeffrey Eugenides, Robert Irwin, Steven Hall, Edith Templeton, Julian Barnes, James Robertson) and theoretical works (Harold Bloom, Umberto Eco, Hayden White) into Czech. For his translation of the novel Patrick Melrose by British author Edward St Aubyn, he received the prestigious Magnesia Litera 2020 award.

Josef Horváth studies languages and social policy at the Faculty of Arts in Brno and is actively involved in the Young Greens. He makes a living through various part-time jobs (as a technician, production assistant, and social service worker). Freelance translating serves as an additional part of his studies.

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.

Born in 1992, Anežka Kasalová hails from the Western Bohemian border area, a region where she has been actively involved in cross-border cooperation projects since childhood. She pursued her education in Weiden, Bavaria, at a high school and later specialized in Czech Studies and Translation Studies at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University. Among her notable translations into Czech are the poetic diary writings of Empress Sisi, alongside several other shorter theoretical works. Currently, Kasalová's main focus lies in the realm of children's literature. She resides in Northern Bohemia with her family and pets.

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.

Jaroslav Tvrdoň graduated in the field of Theory and History of Modern and Contemporary Art from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. Since 2010, he has co-directed the RUBATO publishing house with Petr Januš, and since 2020, he has focused his efforts largely on samizdat prints which he publishes under his own brand OFFICINA PRAGA. He publishes essays on book and graphic design, literature, and visual arts, particularly in the magazines A2, a cultural fortnightly, and HOST. He also engages in editorial and publishing work and teaches the history of graphic design and typography. He has been twice awarded in the competition for the Most Beautiful Books of the Czech Republic for his own book designs. Many years ago, he published a collection of short stories Tam, nahoře (Way Up There) (2005). Recently, for his own pleasure, he published the small Manuál rybářského učně (Fishing Apprentice’s Handbook) (2022). He is currently preparing more books for publication.

Anežka Charvátová, born in 1965, graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Charles University, where she majored in Spanish and French and earned her doctorate in philosophy in 1989. She furthered her language education by studying Italian at a language school. Charvátová's professional journey includes roles in two publishing houses and co-founding a third. As a freelancer, she is deeply engaged in translating and interpreting, book promotion, and the dissemination of Romance literature. She contributes reviews and teaches Spanish literature at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University. Her expertise extends beyond translations from Spanish, French, and Italian to include cultural analysis, a field intertwined with language. Charvátová's translation work has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards.