EDA KRISEOVA
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great experience. It was like a stage. Can you imagine how interesting it
was for a writer? History always repeats itself in a nother gui se. I regret
that one thousand years ago we did not manage to become a part of the
Holy Roman Empire. Then, there was a Czech intellectual, St. Vojtech,
Adalbert in German, who was recognized by the Pope and the emperor
as a bishop. He tried to persuade Czechs who were in power to annex,
but they refused to do so and chased him twice from the country. They
had slaves and bigamy; they didn't want legis lation that was against all
that. And now, we are in a simi lar situation. The Czechs in power want
their mafias and corruption. Not a ll of them, but many. They want to
be hidden, to live in an atmosphere without strict laws, which allows
them to continue engaging in their shady businesses. They make more
money without the danger of punishment for what they have done. But
Havel wants to civilize the Czechs, bring them up as responsible citizens
of their community.
Kurzweil: According to some people, and I don't know how much cre–
dellCe to give them, they turned against him because they loved his for–
mer wife, Olga, who died, and they don't like his new wife.
Kriseova: Come on, this is stupid . Isn't it stupid?
Kurzweil: Yes.
Kriseova: First of all, that is his own private business. Second ly, they
loved Olga after her death. They didn't like her so much while she was
alive . This is yet another tradition in this country. People here love spec–
tacular funerals, because afterwards that person can cause no more
trouble. There have been many important individuals in our history
who were independent, and therefore were not accepted by the little
bourgeois. And the little bourgeois is happy when he sees the funeral of
such an individual, whom he then starts to g lorify.
Kurzweil: Can you compare it to the Princess Diana syndrome?
Kriseova: Someth ing like that, yes . This is one aspect. Another is that
Havel is not the sort of person who could live alone. Also, he was seri–
ously ill, and by becoming his second wife, Dagmar saved him with her
enormous amount of energy. She was fighting very hard for him.
Kurzweil: He has cancer, doesn't he?
