Žil jsem zbytečně – Hejda Jiří (2020)

This Czech-language memoir captures a large part of modern Czech history through the recollections of one remarkable man. Jiří Hejda’s account begins in the trenches of the First World War and continues through the creation of the first independent state of the Czechs and Slovaks, disillusionment after Munich, the horrors of the following seven years, post-war enthusiasm and new illusions, their painful loss three years later, the absurd darkness of the 1950s and the naive hopes of the Prague Spring, followed by the stifling warmth of normalization. His life ends in 1985, encompassing the experiences of an entrepreneur, economist, politician, journalist and writer. Hejda studied law in Prague, worked for newspapers including Československý deník, Tribuna, Přítomnost, Lidové noviny and České slovo, held economic and managerial positions, and became involved in post-war politics. Arrested in 1949, he was accused and later sentenced in the trial of Milada Horáková. He received a life sentence, was imprisoned in Ruzyně, Pankrác, Mírov, Leopoldov and Valdice, and was not amnestied until 1962. In prison he composed sonnets and memorized them. After his release, he returned to his literary ambitions, resulting in this unique book. This new edition also includes previously unpublished texts and examples of Hejda’s sonnets written in communist prison camps. Václav Havel considers memoirs such as this important for preserving the memory, continuity and identity of a nation.