Secrets of Czech Castles and Chateaus

Jan Bauer

With over 200 published books, Jan Bauer is the most prolific living Czech author. He has written some books under the pseudonyms Felix Krumlowský and Anna Březinová. He has also contributed to collective works, such as the ten-volume project 'Wanderings Through the World's Past'. Originally an agricultural engineer by training, he worked as a journalist for almost forty years. Since 2002, he has devoted himself exclusively to literature. He primarily writes non-fiction, detective stories, and historical novels, with a particular focus on Czech history. Recently, his two series of historical detective stories, featuring the former New Town magistrate Jakub Protiva of Protivec and Charles IV's secret agent, the Dominican monk Pavel, have gained considerable popularity among readers. He has been awarded for his work with, for example, the Karel Hynek Mácha Prize (1995), the Zeyer's Mug (2007), and the prestigious South Bohemian literary award, the Petr Vok Goblet (2010). He lives in Vodňany, where in 2006 he founded the traditional annual gathering of writers, Zeyer's Vodňany.