Zbyněk Hejda (born February 2, 1930, Hradec Králové) is a Czech poet, essayist and translator (mainly from English - Emily Dickinson; and German - Georg Trakl, Gottfried Benn), generally recognised as one of the most important Czech writers after the Second World War.[1] He studied philosophy and history at the Charles University. In 1968 he worked in a publishing house, and then worked in a second hand bookshop, until he signed the Charter 77 and was forced to work as a door-keeper. Since 1990 he taught philosophy at the Charles University. In 1996 he received, together with the poet Jiřina Hauková, the prestigious Jaroslav Seifert Award for the outstanding lifetime contribution to the Czech literature. Zbyněk Hejda lives in Prague.