Petr Berka demonstrated in front of the guns of Soviet tanks as they entered Czechoslovakia - in his mother's womb. His childhood was like Happy Days and The Fonz: Very Cool, but at 18, to avoid fighting against Western Imperialism via compulsory military service, he found himself very unwell for years. Meantime, he studied biology and anthropology, his graduation thesis being "What do Brits and Germans think about Czechs?" He then began working as a city guide in Prague to explain to foreigners that his compatriots might not be as bad as they seem to be.

Ales Palan's highest qualification is from driving school, having passed with distinction after only five attempts. Under the communist regime he used his creative forces to the full working as a navvy, acquiring the skills necessary to build a really impressive cottage. A writer and journalist, his books are based on interviews with prominent Czech personalities. In view of the fact that many of his subjects died during the writing of them, there is an extraordinary interest in his services. Every Czech publisher knows exactly who he should be interviewing next - ideally without delay. Should the reader have any tips, he is more than willing to consider them.

Petr Stastny, an artist and translator (www.pstastny.eu), enrolled at art college in the expectation that nude models would be provided. His disillusionment wasn't helped by the Soviet invasion so he decided to do a runner. He put on some slippers and was off, running (and stumbling) from one continent to the next (an idea later copied by Tom Hanks). After a brief stop-over in Britain that extended to a couple of decades, he returned to Prague in the hope of getting a refund on his slippers. He is still waiting.