Professor Daniel Fischer

“Well after the first, second, third exhibition we found out, it became a ritual in a negative sense. The day after the exhibition, they called us to the Union of visual artists and collegially threatened us. The other day what are you doing, if you stopped, you’d be alright. The other day, I went to the ministry of culture, there I can confirm it, the director of the department, he was a decent translator Jozef Kot, Zeljenka told us:” That man with an unfinished name”. So I was at his place. He was a director of the department of arts, that was his function. Over him was Kyos and Valek, so he was second after Valek. Second, was, unfortunately, February street, it was the most unpleasant. And it kept repeating.”

“I was told by an assistant, it was Ivan Vychlopen, Matejka's assistant, of course, he was older from us, but we were on a first-name basis with him. He asked me in a friendly manner, but I politely declined, and then after a day or two, he came asking me in a more serious tone, to speak to the bursar. He was on a first-name basis with everyone, of course. He also had a special room at the rectorate at Hviezdoslav square, with leather seats, his own chair, not even rector had it. He came, as usual, leaned over the back-rest:”What did you say there?” The assistant told him that I was not very interested. He told me something, it was late in the week, he told me to change my mind and come on Monday. I was 21 years old. Of course, I consulted with the people I thought that ... My parents or my uncle, they did not tell me unequivocally that I should refuse, since they were afraid of me. There was no one to tell me- refuse. In 1971… It was after your parents were expelled? I had told him- that Orlik, everything, and he answered, the party would help you, they would sort everything out. So it was after father lost his job, and mother was expelled from that union… and I knew I shouldn't join the party. I would not play strong even now, I just know it’s not right...:”