Ota Pavel (1930–1973) was a Czech writer, journalist, and sports reporter, born to Jewish farmers. After World War II, in which his father and brother survived concentration camps, Pavel began writing sports pieces. He covered the Innsbruck Olympics in 1964, when he suffered an attack of the bipolar disorder that would dog him the rest of his life. His memoirs, short stories, and works on sports, including Golden Eels and How I Came to Know Fish, were published to acclaim—even as he endured sixteen hospitalizations. Pavel died in Prague.
WORKS THAT HAVE APPEARED IN NARRATIVE:
- Carp for the Wehrmacht, a short story, in Stories of the Week: 2011–2012