Frantisek Pavlicek: Long, long ago

The play about Božena Němcová Dávno, long ago, was subtitled Report on Burial in Bohemia by its author František Pavlíček. In 1979 he wrote this monodrama for the actress Vlasta Chramostová, who was unable to perform in public. To tell the story of the fate of Božena Němcová, the author used the circumstances of three funerals so "significant" for the Czech writer. Her beloved son Hynek, who died at the age of 15 in 1853. Karel Havlíček Borovský in 1856, after which police pressure on the Němc family intensified. And finally, the funeral of Božena Němcová herself in 1862, the magnificence of which contrasted sadly with the misery in which the writer was forced to live, especially at the end of her life. Vlasta Chramostová staged Pavlíček's text under the direction of Luboš Pistorius. It was performed in her apartment theatre, usually with the assistance of the secret police, who often arrested the audience immediately after the performance. After November 1989, the actress returned to Pavlíček's monodrama as a member of the National Theatre in Prague and the result was also a radio production. It was again directed by Luboš Pistorius with the assistance of director Hana Kofránková.