Michal Ajvaz (born 30 October 1949 in Prague) is a Czech novelist, poet and translator, an exponent of the literary style known as magic realism.

Biography

Born into a family of Russian exiles, Ajvaz studied Czech studies and aesthetics at Charles University in Prague. He currently works as a researcher at Prague's Centre for Theoretical Studies and, in addition to fiction, has published an essay on Derrida and a book-length meditation on Borges. His novel Prázdné ulice was awarded the Jaroslav Seifert Prize for literary achievement (2005), the most prestigious literary award in the Czech Republic. He won the Magnesia Litera 2012 award (book of the year) for his novel Lucemburská zahrada and the 2020 Czech State Award for Literature for his body of work to-date.