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was bom in 1846 and ranks as one of the most important figures of the literature of Bohemia, both in prose and verse.

Among his popular ballads and story telling poems are—The Lark, The Smith of Lešetin, In Shadow of the Linden, The Goblet of Youth.

In prose he has written many stories and sketches distinguished by that gay and fantastic humor which strikes us as peculiarly the property of certain south-central races of Europe, such as the Poles, Bohemians, and Hungarians. These stories by Čech frequently show the light touch and splendid surface that is characteristic of French prose, with the addition of a brilliant irony that drives home successfully the point he wishes to make. Several volumes of stories of merit stand to the credit of Čech.