Ondrej Štefánik: Paula, the Ostrich and the City

Born in Bratislava in 1978, Ondrej Štefánik studied journalism at the Comenius University in Bratislava and currently works as a copywriter in an advertising agency. He is the author of the short story collection Pštrosí muž [The Ostrich Man] (2011) and the novels Bezprsté město [The Fingerless City] (2012) and Som Paula [I Am Paula] (2016). ‘There is a critical, sceptical outlook in his work,’ writes Zora Prušková, ‘but also imagination and a sense for the fine nuances of genre and style. The author uses a high level of humour – at time rather cynically, but always in texts where even expletives have a functional use.’