Bohemian (Czech) writer and translator. Born 1902 in village Myslichovice near Olomouc in a family of peasant. After Gymnasium in Olomouc, he studied between years 1922 and 1926 Bohemian, English and French linguistics at Prague University. In 1926, he joined Josef Florian s christian community in Stara Rise and work in its publishing house as translator. But after he was seduced by more older Florians sister, he gone away back to Prague and work as translator for publishing houses Melantrich and Symposion. After German occupation of Czechoslovakia, he returned to his native village and led solitude life out of politics and public life. He only corresponded with his best friend, poet Jan Zahradnicek (their correspondence was published in 1990s as a book) and made visits in Dominical cloister in Olomouc by his other friend, monk, theologian and literature critic Silvestr Maria Braito . After the end of WW2, he returned back to Prague and had worked as editor in publishing house Vysehrad. After communist revolution in 1948, Jan fled into exile and he lived in France. His friends who stayed home, like Jan Zahradnicek were set under cruel persecution - poet Zahradnicek was sentenced to 15 years of prison of his "anti-socialistic thinking" and died few weeks after releasing from prison in 1960s. In exile, Jan Cep lived in Paris (1948-1951) and in Munich (1951-1955) where he became commentator of Czech section of Radio Free Europe. In 1955, he returned to Paris, married and became essayst and free journalist. Died in exile in 1974 in Paris.

Books:

• Dvoji domov (1926, Double Being), short stories
• Zemezluc (1931, Centaury), short stories
• Letnice (1932)
• Deravy plast (1934)
• Hranice stinu (1935, Border of Shade), novel
• Polni trava (1946, Field Grass)
• Rozptylene paprsky (1946), essays
• Cikani (1953, Gipsies), novel published in Munich exile
• O lidsky svet (1953, Human World), essays published in Rome
• Samomluvy (1959) essays, published in Lund
• Sestra uzkost (1975, My Sister Fear), memoirs/essay, published in Rome
• Etudy pro pani J. (1986, Etudes for Mrs. J.), novel published poshumously in Munich