Jaroslav Kalfař is a Czech-American author best known for his debut novel "Spaceman of Bohemia," a genre-blending work that combines literary fiction with elements of science fiction and dark humor. The novel, published in fourteen languages, was a finalist for several prestigious awards including the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. A film adaptation directed by Johan Renck, starring Adam Sandler and Carey Mulligan, is slated for release in 2023.
Born in Prague one year before the Velvet Revolution, Kalfař immigrated to the United States at fifteen. He earned an MFA from New York University, where he was a Goldwater Fellow and a nominee for the inaugural E.L. Doctorow Prize. His writing often explores themes of identity, displacement, and the intersection of the ordinary with the extraordinary. In 2018, he received the National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, marking a significant milestone in his career. Kalfař currently resides in Brooklyn, dividing his time between writing novels and screenplays while maintaining strong ties to his Czech heritage.