Reports against musicians inconvenient to the regime came from rival bands
Stáhnout obrázek
Otomar Dvořák, writer, screenwriter, dramaturge and actor, was born on 14 January 1951 in Prague-Podolí to parents Otomar and Maria, née Šénová. His father worked at the Machine Tool Factory (TOS) and was interested in technology and astronomy, and was one of the founders of the observatory in Žebrák. In this town the family lived in the villa of the former owner of TOS Josef Volman. Even in his childhood, Otomar Dvořák drew comics, invented adventure stories and made short films. After finishing nine years of school, he trained as a milling cutter and was then admitted to an industrial school. In August 1968, he witnessed first-hand the dramatic events associated with the invasion of the Warsaw Pact armies. In 1975, he was accepted to study at the Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU), majoring in screenwriting and dramaturgy. At that time he had already published short stories in magazines and worked at the District Cultural Centre in Beroun. After graduation he worked briefly as an assistant director at Barrandov, then became an employee of the Cultural Centre (KS) for Prague-West and at the same time an inspector at the Department of Culture. He was in charge of supervising theatre and cultural groups. He experienced the denunciation of bands by other musicians for competitive reasons. He was involved in theatre activities, made short films and music videos. Until 1989 he was the dramaturge of the Semafor theatre. In the 1990s he had minor acting opportunities, for example in the film Tank Battalion. He worked as a journalist and published in the Ivo Železný publishing house and the magazine Fantastická fakta. He and his second wife, artist Eva Zajícová, collaborated on performances at the Municipal Theatre in Zlín. For Czech Television he created several documentary series with historical themes. His most extensive work as a writer has been in non-fiction and fiction inspired mainly by history and his childhood and travel experiences. In 2024 he lived in Prague.
