KAJA SAUDEK

Kája Saudek (1935 - 2015), real name Karel Saudek, was born on May 13, 1935, in Prague. He became acquainted with American comics in his childhood. In the 1950s, due to political reasons, he was unable to study, so he worked as a technical draftsman and stagehand in the Barrandov film studios.

In the 1960s, he became a prominent painter and draftsman with a dynamic line, inspired by the classic American comic style, when he collaborated on the films "Who Wants to Kill Jessie?" and "Four Weddings and a Funeral, My Dear" with director Miloš Macourek. In the 1970s, he drew comic strips for Mladý svět magazine and in 1979 he began cooperation with the Czech Speleological Society. This partnership allowed him to publish comics in print runs of several thousand copies.

During the following decade, comic stories based on the scripts of famous writers and screenwriters were created. In the 1980s, he collaborated on the television series "Okna vesmíru dokořán" (Windows of the Universe Wide Open) in cooperation with Slovak Television, Vladimír Železný and Jiří Grygar. His artistic career was affected by the period of normalization, when he could not officially publish.

After the Velvet Revolution, he enjoyed democracy for only 16 years, as he fell into a coma in 2006 after an accident. His extensive artistic work also includes illustrations for books, magazines, and films. His works include the popular science television series "Okna vesmíru dokořán" and book illustrations, including works by Jaroslav Foglar. Kája Saudek was the twin brother of photographer Jan Saudek.