It was scary at times, but it was the best time of my life
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Emil Juřena was born on 24 February 1958 in Svitavy to parents Zdena, née Široká, and Emil Dvořák. Both parents came from Brno. Emil had two brothers. His father, a “dandy” in the 1950s, was sentenced to six months in prison for criticism of the regime in 1966, and the children were taken to a children´s home, where he eventually spent two years before the authorities allowed him to return to his parents. They moved frequently thereafter, and he attended almost every grade of primary school elsewhere. He trained as a bricklayer - the first year in Chrudim, the next two years in Letovice. He then worked mostly in the blue-collar professions. In 1975-1977 he sang in the band Helios. In 1978 he joined the underground culture movement, organized various musical events, and was involved in the spreding and production of samizdat. As his activities increased, the pressure from State Security increased. He was convicted twice for his activities (1978 Oráčov, 1980 Plzeň-Bory). Nevertheless, he continued, adding his signature to petitions for the release of political prisoners, the VONS declaration and others. In 1987 he married Marie Juřenová, whose name he took. In 1987, she emigrated to Canada, where the winess came to visit her in 1989 with an emigration passport. Later they lived in Florida. They returned to the Czech Republic permanently after 2000. In 2009 his wife died. In 2019, he was awarded a certificate of participation in the Third Resistance for his activities. In 2023, he was living in Stražisko near Prostějov with his partner Zlata Kaprálová.
