Word: masaryk
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Henry Grunwald and Eastern Europe Correspondent John Moody in his comfortable, slightly threadbare second-floor apartment in Prague. The 90-min. interview took place in Seifert's book-lined living room, where the mementos of a long life include a bust of one of his few heroes, Tomas Masaryk, Czechoslovakia's first President. Seifert is a small man with questing eyes, his white hair brushed straight back from a careworn face. Speaking through an interpreter, he reflected quietly on his art and his times. Excerpts...
...honest, nothing. I was interested in poetry only. Politics was only marginally of interest. My relationship with politics has cooled, especially after the death of Masaryk. Strong views were forced on me. And having strong views of my own, I had to become involved in politics. I am a sensitive man. I was able to express the attitude of the population, and it found in me a spokesman...
...history of our people, even as far back as the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, is that we have to deal with greater powers on our borders, for instance, Germany and Russia. But we also live in the center of Europe. The concept of politicians like Masaryk was to use Czechoslovakia to build a bridge between East and West, across the heart of Europe...