Michal Štěpánek

Michal Štěpánek (1984) studied humanities at the Faculty of Philosophy in Pilsen. He is the author of the children’s books Nad večerní černí (Above the Evening Black, 2020) and KAMaRÁDI – Lesní příběhy (FRIENDS – Forest Stories, 2021). The interactive book Začátek a konec (The Beginning and the End, with Marta Kelbl) was selected for the prestigious international selection The BRAW Amazing Bookshelf 2025 at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. For the book Malý červený míč (The Little Red Ball, with Filip Pošivač), he received the Teachers’ Award in the Children’s Heart Book competition. His titles also regularly appear in the Best Books for Children catalog and in the Most Beautiful Czech Book competition. As an editor, he collaborated with Jan Lípa on the books Slovo Buddhovo (The Word of Buddha) and Čínský mudrc Tao (The Chinese Sage Tao). He has a long-standing interest in Tibetan Buddhism and practical philosophy in the tradition of František Drtikol. He works in insurance and also runs a small publishing house, LUX, where he publishes poetry, Buddhist literature, and children’s books. He derives the greatest joy from writing for young readers, inspired by his own four children.