Ján Uličiansky (1955–2024) was a playwright, prose writer, and stage director, well-known for his work in the field of children’s literature. After studying at the Academy of Performing Arts of Prague, he worked as a script editor in the Košice Puppet Theatre, then at Slovak Radio and Slovak Television, and he was a professor at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. Beginning with Uličiansky’s first book, Adelka Zvončeková (Adele the Little Bell, 1981), he introduced a contemporary and distinctive voice into the Slovak fairy tale. Some of his stories were inspired by (or parodies of) classic works of children’s literature, and he adapted a number of them into radio and stage plays. Kocúr na kolieskových korčuliach (Puss on Skates), written as a series for Slovak Radio in 2006, then performed at the Slovak National Theatre in 2008, featured an updated version of “Puss in Boots” who prefers rollerblades. Štyria škriatkovia a víla (The Four Elves and the Fairy, 2009) was presented in both English and Italian translations at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, while Malá princezná, (The Little Princess, 2009) was published in English and French in ebook format. Ján Uličiansky’s work has also been published in German, Czech, Polish, Slovenian, and Lithuanian.