“We wanted to function at least in that narrow view of freedom. And that´s it. Even though we, the artists, had relative freedom, it was very restricted. It had its limitations. So that´s where we existed or wanted to find ourselves, and all the things around we just needed to respect, if possible. Nothing else mattered back then. Of course, the restrictions were there, but we had to fit in them and make use of our potential.”
“Those were just great children years, even though being marked by the Second World War, which was quite cruel for our family. My father joined the resistance movement very actively and he got revealed, of course. So one day, I remember it was the October 13, 1944, they searched for him. He managed to hide in some corner of the loft in our house.”
“We certainly noticed the ruling power of communists over us, but as much as we could, we tried to be reserved especially in that cultural sphere. It was such an oasis of the creative spirit and peace of mind.”
Ivan Letko was born in 1934 in the village of Farná near Štúrovo, however, he spent his whole childhood in Hlohovec. During the Second World War his parents were being imprisoned for several months because of their engagement in antifascist resistance in 1944. Later, his mother died due to imprisonment. Ivan Letko graduated in acting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU) and later he worked for 10 years at the Army Theatre in Martin. In 1967 he moved to Bratislava and began to perform at the theatre Nová scéna, where he stayed for 44 years. During several decades he also worked as a pedagogue at the VŠMU. Ivan Letko died on January 21, 2024.
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