Klára Jarunková (1922–2005)

Klára Jarunková, née Chudíková, was born in Slovakia, the daughter of a postal official. When she was eight years old, her mother died, and she and her siblings were raised by their father and his sister. She went to a girls' high school in Banska Bystrica and then taught for two years in a primary school. She studied the Slovak language and philosophy at Comenius University but never completed her degree. After World War II, she became an official at the Town Hall in Bratislava. In 1953, she began writing for Czechoslovak radio and later for magazines and newspapers. Her first book, Hero's Diary, a collection of humorous stories and features, was published in 1960. Her novels and stories for children were usually written in the first person from the child's perspective. She also wrote novels, educational works, and travel literature. Her books won several international literary awards including the Deutscher Jugendbuch Prize and Premio Bancarella Prize.