Czech sci-fi author Josef Nesvadba dies

The respected Czech science fiction author Josef Nesvadba has died at the age of 78. Mr Nesvadba's family made the announcement on Tuesday without disclosing further details. Josef Nesvadba's death comes as a blow to the Czech sci-fi literature scene which he so influenced in the 1960s and 1980s, continuing in the philosophical footsteps of Czech writers like Karel Capek and Jiri Weiss. His many works include "Einstein's Brain" and "Hell Benes" (2002) - his final book.

In 2003 Mr Nesvadba was a key guest at the annual Prague Writer's Festival, where he debated the nature of speculative fiction with colleague and fellow sci-fi writer Ondrej Neff.