Jakub Arbes Biography

Jakub Arbes was a Czech journalist and writer renowned for his original literary genre, the romaneto. This form is characterized as a longer short story with a suspenseful plot, often featuring mysterious elements and surprising conclusions. Arbes drew inspiration from contemporary Prague life, and his works frequently explored the tension between rational understanding and enigmatic phenomena. Due to the fantastical elements in his writing, particularly in works like "Newton's Brain," he is now recognized as a precursor to science fiction.