Josef Škvorecký CM (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjozɛf ˈʃkvorɛtskiː] (listen); September 27, 1924 – January 3, 2012) was a Czech-Canadian writer and publisher. He spent half of his life in Canada, publishing and supporting banned Czech literature during the communist era. Škvorecký was awarded the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1980.