Jaroslav Velinský
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jaroslav Velinský was born 1932 in Prague. He was miner, metal-smith, graphic artist, science fiction and detective writer, publisher, musician (banjo and swing guitar). One of the founders of the Czech folk festival Porta. Honorary member of Czech-ertar society (SF club). In the folk arena and among SF friends and fans known as Kapitán Kid (other pseudonyms: Václav Rabský, C.P. Stonebridge, Agáta Bílá).
Author of songs—more than 50 country and folk hits such as : Jenofefa, Krinolina, Mary Celeste etc. Books - SF: Engerlings, Notes from Garth, Dzwille, Continent of Unlimited Possibilities etc. 8 staged theater plays and more than 30 detective novels (Dark Well, Man-eater, Death of a Midget, Lady with a Green Elephant, Very Long Stairs, Murderer's Road, Estimated Solution and others).
It is believed that Ota Fink, hero of these books, is such a success for his detective insight is based on a detailed knowhow of common industrial professions and small problems of plain Czech people this in a way of method resembling the books of Dick Francis. The reader feels a close kinship to Ota Fink, as the books use the familiar places and professional tricks as cornerstones of the story on the same level as psychology and action. Leading translator of American literature František Jungwirth wrote: "If our literature has its own Philip Marlow, it is Ota Fink from the books of Jaroslav Velinský."
Jaroslav Velinský is a pioneer of a new and interesting way of art business—he founded a one-man publishing house "Club of Friends of Captain Kid", the club consisting of readers of his books and fans of his music. He is using the club data and close contact with his audience for better planning of his production. This concerns not only the amounts of published books and CDs, but it leads to correct deciding between writing music or literature and selecting the best themes as well. The result is a high efficiency publishing house producing new original books and songs "on demand" while being active on a competitive scale.
