Jindřich Poledňa

“My father could not make living for us. Once he left for a communist meeting at Pešek’s place. They gave him a paper and he signed his entry in the Communist Party. He returned home and my mum asked him, ‘Where have you been?’ He didn’t want to tell but she knew, she knew by instinct. She took her scarf and left. She came to Pešek’s place, they welcomed her, told her to sit down and gave her a piece of paper to sign her party membership. She asked them to show her what her husband wrote so that she could copy it. She went to school only for two years, this was still under the Emperor. They gave her the paper, she took it, tore it to pieces, threw it on the table and left.”

“It was a large room with a big table in it. We sat opposite a commission. Brousil, the rector of all art schools, arrived and said, ‘Comrades, before I start this proceeding, please allow me to keep my fur hat.’ It was cold and he had a cold. The comrades sat opposite us and what followed was a two-day trial. It was attended by all the deans of all art schools, all personnel officers, military training officers etc. I felt like at Nurnberg trials. They started by saying that we parodied and ridiculed a Soviet heroic song.”

“I ran behind our house, it was a Sunday in August. I looked up, an azure sky, a beautiful day. The sky was full as if with stars, the planes flew in eight by eight formation. It looked like a carpet with a pattern. And the earth thundered. I ran a short way from our home by a path to an open field. It was in Tilkovice. And I said, ‘Look there was a flash from that plane!’ That was a bomb flying. It threw me against the house. They said I was stuck against the wall, crucified like Jesus.”