Můj život mezi hvězdami – Šramota Petr (2014)

The well-known and acclaimed architect Petr Šramota, born in 1937 in Prague and permanently settled in the Netherlands since the age of thirty, did not choose the title of his autobiography by chance. Stars have accompanied him throughout his fruitful and fully lived life. At birth, he was gifted with the Star of David, so he too did not escape the Nazi terror as a small child. The red star, which ominously shone over Czechoslovakia shortly thereafter, could not fail to have a detrimental effect on the entire family (let us recall that his father Jan founded the well-known advertising agency Rapid, which was "nationalized" by the communists). Given his profile and his open resistance to the red dictatorship, it was a tremendous fortune that he could study architecture, and his undeniable talent did not go to waste. However, he could not avoid service in the PTP, and leaving the republic – adventurously and in two attempts – was the only chance for a normal life. Despite his original plans, he settled with his then-wife in Rotterdam, where he still lives today, and quickly established himself among the well-known and respected Dutch architects. After 1989, he also worked in the Czech Republic and was part of interesting moments that shaped our current economic reality. Petr Šramota is also an excellent...