Ota Pavel
Ota Pavel (1930–1973), born in Prague, originally intended to be a professional ice hockey player, but when an injury sidelined him, he turned to sports writing. He worked as a journalist for many years, but that had to be put on hold when he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The next period in his life proved to be the most productive; it was during these years that he wrote How I Came to Know Fish. He died of a heart attack in 1973.