Hana Kofránková

* 1949

  • "At times it was bad. I recall a big meeting of all Radio employees in music studio 1. Director Kvapil and his horrible sidekicks appeared there. He began to scare us, telling us there were things which were not to be played with. That we hadn't realized what we were doing. That the time wasn't ripe - it probably wouldn't have been even now. And he played us a record at which poor Rudolf Hrušínský was forced to read in a tremolo: 'It would be a shame if you'd lost your lives.' They warned the youth not to go to the Wenceslas Square. They told us that it was unwise and that it was better to wait, and so on. I felt horror because they said that tanks were waiting at Strahov and such rumours. I was also frightened about them abusing Mr. Hrušínský."

  • "I had no better idea than to blab about my daddy dissing the communists at home. Now, what happened was that one of these boys was the son of a minister. He got a spark in his eye and told me that his daddy would have my daddy put in jail unless I gave him all the chocolates I received in packages. Back then we had no visits - it may have been a quarantine or something. And so he got everything from me. Not that I'd be afraid about my dad getting locked up but I feared getting a beating for blabbing out once again..."

  • "There is one thing which haunts me to this day. Whenever I can, I lie and find excuses but I won't do it now. They called a meeting at the radio where they announced us that we all agreed with the declaration made in the National Theater. I hadn't come later to have my name crossed out. So, I signed the Anti-charter. For many weeks I couldn't even sleep and was really unhappy about it. After all, it went directly against my family. This is also why I later so welcomed Several Sentences (Několik vět) and other petition. I could feel certain redemption. This is really a painful issue."

  • "Back then, Láďa was already the spokesperson for Charter 77. In front of his apartment was a bench where two policemen used to sit. I always came there with a stroller. They didn't like when a big fuss broke out. So whenever I came to visit and saw them sit there, I put my hand into the clothes and pinched my baby. She cried aloud and they wanted to get it over with quickly. They would ask me: 'Where are you employed? At the radio? And do you know where you're going?' - 'Yes, I do, I'm going to my sister's to show her the baby.' My daughter heard this story just recently and told me: 'Finally, it's clear. I was wondering why whenever I see a policeman I feel like crying.'"

  • Full recordings
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    Praha, 10.04.2017

    (audio)
    duration: 01:43:26
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    Praha, 10.04.2017

    (audio)
    duration: 01:50:00
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Radio - those are words straight to one’s soul

Hana Kofránková was born on 5 January 1949 in Prague into the family of a bank employee and a housewife. As a child she was often sick due to a heart disease and had spent practically all of her first grade at a hospital. Also thanks to the fact that as a child she was often at home or in medical facilities she grew fond of radio broadcasting. She was mostly interested in radio drama for children and youth. Ever since early 1960s she competed in recitation and in mid-60s she along with Michal Pavlata starred in a new radio series Songs for Peter and Lucy. After concluding university studies at the Theatre Faculty and the Faculty of Philosophy in mid-70s she became a director of the Czechoslovak Radio. Her brother-in-law was Ladislav Hejdánek who co-sponsored the Charter 77. In the end she herself was spared persecution by the regime likely also because she signed the so-called Anti-charter which she later regretted. To the contrary, at the late-80s she signed several anti-regime petitions including Several Sentences (Několik vět) and also took active part in the Velvet Revolution at the Radio. In her work she then focused on the persona of Přemysl Pitter. Along with friends she keeps organizing author readings. On the margins she pursued documentary cinema and theater directing. She is one of the remaining legends of the Czechoslovak Radio’s analogue era.