Můj časosběr – Bílý Tomáš (2025)

This Czech-language autobiographical book by television director Tomáš Bílý portrays both his personal life and the broader picture of twentieth-century Central European history, which profoundly affected his family’s fate. He recalls the dramatic story of his father, a First Republic lawyer and intellectual imprisoned in the 1950s, while also recounting his own life, including his marriage to the daughter of the prominent film director Jiří Weiss. He remembers childhood visits to Max Švabinský, when he first saw the nude model the master was painting, as well as close friendships with film director Jarmil Jireš and his wife Hanka, and with poet Zbyněk Havlíček. He describes filming with writer Ladislav Mňačko and theatre director and dramaturge Ota Ornest, and recounts a dramatic fire in his apartment. Central chapters focus on his work at Czechoslovak Television from the 1960s onward, especially during the key events of 1968 and 1989. The book introduces television creators including Vlastimil Vávra and Jindřich Fairaizl, and witnesses the approval screening of a series by the feared Communist ideologue Vasil Biľak. Bílý opens the door to the world of politics and the backstage workings of television at the time, describing encounters with many important figures who influenced his life, all with perspective, humor, and a feel for the historical context.