6:00 outside, a thunderstorm that can’t really take itself seriously.
Did quite a lot of Czech in the evening. Translating the piece of Czech prose I’ve been using for pronunciation.
August 13
Dear Mum and Dad,
earlier today I sent off the two letters concerning the Poll Tax that you asked me for. They should have got to you by now. Hopefully that’ll be the end of this week, the 17th or 18th. I hope they are okay.
There’s been hardly any work to do for the past couple of weeks.1 In theory I am a replacement teacher, but as I don’t have a phone it would be difficult for anyone to contact me in case of emergency. I will be taking over four classes of the Advanced Course on August 27th.
Milena came back from her holiday today and paid everyone. She seemed more relaxed and was going to let the business run itself for another couple of weeks. I have saved up enough money not to have to work during this time, although this money is only worth £200.
Prague is clogged up with tourists. All the Czechs are going on holiday as well. I took some black and white film to be developed and was told that it would take a month! The Russian film is one of the cheapest things you can buy here, I bought some today for 11.50 kcs. That’s 23p for 36 exposures. Developing is very expensive and the film isn’t very good. I’m looking at Praktika cameras and thinking about buying one.
I went to the Smetana Museum last week. There was no English programme so I had to guess what most of the exhibits were. It was a bit disappointing as there were very few original manuscripts or artefacts, which is what you really want to see.
Over the weekend I went out drinking with some of the other English Teachers. Karl, who was sacked by Milena, has set up as a private tutor and is trying to establish his own language school. Before he came here he would have characterised himself as a Marxist. Now his ambition is to erect a ‘Karl Tower’ (like Trump Tower) behind the National Muzeum, and to have his rusty, beaten-up Fiat 125 rotating on a plinth on the top. Charles Ireland is going to teach English in Spain. Tim Pyke has applied for a job in Japan, also teaching English.
Barbora my landlady, who was making preparations for going to Canada to live with Ezra, (and I helped her fill out her visa) almost immediately is now going to wait until Christmas. It appears Mr Klein isn’t too keen on the idea of an older Czech woman disturbing his son’s studies. (As an aside let me note that a phone call to Canada costs 60kčs a second!2) Barbora offered me her flat whilst she would be away, all I would have to pay for would be the electricity etc. It’s an offer worth considering. I’m thinking of finding some work in Paris, if I can, as my next job.
My Czech is progressing slowly. Last week I was the only person to turn up to the Czech lessons so I was able to get a little private tuition on my accent. The aim is to be intelligible, not perfect. One of the other teachers met a man, in his nineties, who had come here to teach English in 1923, and stayed, and his Czech wasn’t very good.
I would be happy to write to the Czech lady from across the road who lent me the picture book (I’ve forgotten her name) if you’d send me her address, or give my address to her. I met her whilst I was walking the dogs one day. Unfortunately as it was the start of the walk they wouldn’t let me stop. I would be happy to answer any questions she has about changes in the place. I could try to track down some of the people she’s lost touch with. Or whatever.
I was surprised that you expected me to be expecting a birthday present. I thought we’d stopped that with my 21st birthday. Obviously the most practical thing is for you to write off a little of my debt.
What I would like would be a couple of the following books;
LUDVÍK VACULÍK – THE CZECH DREAMBOOK
PAUL CELAN – POEMS (trans. Michael Hamburger)
JOSEF SKVORECKY – THE BASS SAXOPHONE
TIMOTHY GARTON ASH – THE USES OF ADVERSITY
H. GORDON SKILLING – CHARTER 77 AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Whichever two are easiest to locate. And a tape of some classical music. Emma Kirkby singing Dowland or something Mum can choose. Nothing Czech.
Paddy will be here for my birthday so I expect we’ll go out. I have tickets for the Rolling Stones on Saturday. I don’t know whether this will be a surprise to Paddy or not.
I enclose a poem I wrote recently. It’s a bit more comprehensible than what I usually write so I thought you might like to see it.3
Yours,
Toby
P.S. There are no brackets on Czech typewriters so I had to draw them in.
This, along with summer, might partly explain the arrival of all these poems.
Still, at this time, you could buy roughly 60 large glasses of beer for 60 kčs.
‘The Wasp’. See tomorrow.