It’s never too late for a happy childhood

Memoirs of childhood by the daughter of actor Pavel Landovský. “Does childhood exist? Only what we remember exists. And when our memory is gone, it won't exist either. Once we become adults, we are solely responsible for our own childhood.” This memoir intertwines humorous and sad experiences, as well as those pivotal for a teenage girl. The author neither idealises nor maligns her famous father, instead describing with humour the stories she witnessed as a child in a unique family and in the atmosphere of socialist Czechoslovakia, from 1962 to 1976. “Initially, my classmates envied me for having a famous father and a cool mum in jeans, while I envied them for their neat piles of laundry in the wardrobes, a pantry full of preserves, and family holidays,” writes Beatrice Landovská. Elsewhere, she describes with detachment her father's contribution to the chaos of Prague's traffic, his bravado, but also his kind heart. All four grandparents play an important role in the narrative, as despite everything, they ensured a happy childhood for her and her sister. Among others, several well-known personalities also appear, friends of her father, such as Pavel Juráček, Ludvík Vaculík, Václav Havel with Olga, Jan Němec with Marta Kubišová, and the actors of the Drama Club (Činoherní klub).