“I have one very sad memory from this period; maybe you won't even believe it. Imagine when I went to the second grade, that is to say the tenth grade, maybe it was September 1, maybe it was another day in September, but it was definitely the beginning of the school year. Suddenly, our classmate appeared in the classroom in front of us, which was normal, the principal came with him, it was not so normal anymore, and another gentleman who we didn't know came with them. As it happened, the director came, the guests came too, so we got up. ‘Sit down.’ We sat down. Mr. Director said to the gentleman: 'So are you going to join the unified agricultural cooperative (JZD) or not, sir?' And the gentleman said: 'I will not join, Mr. Director, I have already told you once, and now I am telling you this for the second time.' Well, comrade director said: 'Come on well, if you say no one more time, your son will be expelled from school immediately. Therefore, will you join the JZD or not?'´ ´I have already told you twice, Mr. Director, so now I'm telling you for the third time, I will not join the JZD. ''The Comrade Director said: 'Well, Honzo, get angry, pack your things and leave.' So before our eyes of sixteen, seventeen year olds, a student was expelled because his dad did not want them to take everything he had. It meant fields and animals. So they kicked the boy out of school for that reason.”
Jaroslav Kratochvíl was born on December 7, 1943. He spent his childhood and youth in Světlá nad Sázavou with his parents and older brother. His father Josef’s family owned a grenade grinding company. Father met his wife Andrée during a seven-year stay in France. They moved to Světlá nad Sázavou in 1937. The bilingual environment in which the witness grew up gave him an excellent knowledge of French. He completed his elementary schooling in Světlá nad Sázavou, his high school studies in Ledč nad Sázavou. He liked to do sports, played volunteer theater. He was not admitted to college because of his bourgeois background. After graduating, he trained as a mechanic at Královopolské strojírny in Brno, which was a far cry from his dream of becoming a radio journalist. Before the 1968 holidays, he successfully completed an interview with the Czechoslovak Radio, starting work in September. The August occupation by Warsaw Pact troops shattered this dream. After winning the Lady Radio Man literary competition, he was able to fulfill his desire for a short time. He only got interesting opportunities for creative work after the Velvet Revolution in 1989. He worked as an interpreter for French filmmakers, and later as a location manager for Czech producers as well. He worked as a dramaturg and producer, prepared programs for children and youth, and had his author’s program “Film with a guest and a guest with a film” at the Zahrada Cultural Center in Chodov, Prague. In 2022, Jaroslav Kratochvíl lived in Světlá nad Sázavou.
