Mailbox
Today in Mailbox: political situation in the Czech Republic, Sunday Music Show, Radio Prague's old jingles, listeners' quiz answers. Listeners quoted: Brack Brown, Tsuyoshi Usui, Ragu Arumugam, John Rutledge, Colin Law, Fru Glory Zii, Manoj A.R., Mary Lou Krenek, M.Ganesan, Hans Verner Lollike, Charles Konecny.
Hello and thanks for tuning in to Mailbox. On Thursday, schools broke up for the summer holidays and summer is in full swing here in Prague. But Radio Prague keeps bringing you news and current affairs from the Czech Republic and we hope your e-mails will not stop coming during the summer months. Let’s hear a couple of our listeners’ comments before we proceed on to your quiz answers.
Brack Brown from Virginia comments on a political subject:
“In your latest edition of Panorama, Daniela Lazarová interviews Vladimíra Dvořáková about the reason for the Czech public's indifference to the strikes and the political reform package of the government. After decades of watching Czech governments fail to realize their political, ethical and constitutional potential I have to say that Ms. Dvořáková is spot on in her analysis. Why government after government, and the media, and the pundits, and businessmen, and many scholars have ignored the maladies that she points out for so long boggles the mind. It is long past time that her observations are taken to heart and acted upon. Not to say that public apathy, in and of itself, is not a contributing factor.”
Tsuyoshi Usui from Japan added this postscript to his reception report:
“I’m writing to thank you for the abundant information we get from you radio programs and website. I am looking forward to the music program ‘Sunday Music Show’ to be broadcast on the weekend. I enjoy the music of your country very much.”
Ragu Arumugam writes from India:
We are no longer playing our old jingles for copyright reasons but you can easily get hold of this one. The song you have in mind is “Crowns” by Money Mark. The tune is from his 1998 album “Push the Button”. Now onto your competition answers:
John Rutledge from Illinois wrote:
“The answer is Petr Ginz, creator of a small black and white pencil illustration entitled ‘Moon Landscape’ who died during the Holocaust.”
Colin Law from New Zealand sent in an elaborate answer:
“Holocaust victim Petr Ginz (February 1, 1928 – September 28, 1944) was the artist. He died at Auschwitz in 1944 simply because he was a ‘mischling’ – a child of a Jewish/ non-Jewish mixed marriage.
“Petr was born in Prague. His father, Otto Ginz, was Jewish and a manager in a textile company. His mother, Marie Ginzová was from Hradec Králové. He was an intelligent boy who wrote science-fiction novels and painted the illustrations for them. By the time he was 14 he had written five novels and a diary about the Nazi occupation of Prague. But German law stated that children from mixed Jewish-Catholic marriages must be removed from their parents and taken to a concentration camp when they were 14. The last entry in his Prague diary was dated August 9, 1942. Petr was taken to Terezín in September 1942.
“In the Terezín camp Petr continued to write and paint, and he edited an underground newspaper. His sister Eva was taken to Terezín in September 1944, but she was unable to spend much time with Petr because girls and boys had separate quarters and also because she was seriously ill for some time. In September 1944 Petr, a young man of remarkable ability, was sent to Auschwitz where he perished at the age of 16.
“On what would have been Petr Ginz’s 75th birthday, 1 February 2003, the destruction of the Columbia space shuttle along with the Petr Ginz drawing, led to a heightened interest in his life story when documents were discovered in an attic in Prague. They were the diary, novels and drawings left behind by Petr Ginz in 1942 before he was taken to Terezín.”
Fru Glory Zii writes from Cameroon:
“In his field – artist/writer – Ginz could easily contest top place fame for the youngest of all time, dying in the tragic circumstances of an Auschwitz gas chamber at the tender age of 16. His ‘The Diary of Petr Ginz’, discovered barely under a decade ago and published by his sister, has become an international sensation in Europe and beyond.”
Manoj A.R. from India:
“’Moon Landscape’, a painting by Petr Ginz who died tragically at Auschwitz was carried by Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, the son of a Holocaust survivor.”
Also from India, Ragu Arumugam writes:
“Petr Ginz was born in Prague to a Jewish family. He proved to be an all-round talented boy at his elementary school level and contributed his arts to the school magazine. On October 24, 1942 he was deported to the Terezín Ghetto where he continued writing and drawing pictures which were saved thanks to his friend who survived the Nazi terrors. His pictures are still preserved in the Yad Vashem Art Museum in Jerusalem, Israel. Czech Post has given acknowledgment for his great efforts in a tiny stamp.
“His art was carried by Columbia STS 107 by the Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, and the major aim was to fulfil the desire of Petr Ginz after 58 years. Thanks to Internet and Radio Prague for such precious details.”
Mary Lou Krenek from Texas wrote:
“To get the answer for this month's competition, I had to rely on my memory a little. The disaster was the Space Shuttle Columbia which broke apart over Texas on February 1, 2003 and the artist was Petr Ginz.
“On board, Israeli astronaut Illan Ramon had carried a copy of a drawing by Petr Ginz named ‘Moon Landscape’ from Israel's Yad Vashem archives that had scraps of his diaries, a few short stories, and drawings. For decades after World War II, the name Petr Ginz was known only in Israel as a young, talented artist and writer who died in the gas chambers at Auschwitz at the age of 16. After the Columbia tragedy, the drawing became so well known that Ginz's name was cited by President George W. Bush. The publicity inspired another resident of Prague, Jiří Růžička, to take another look at some notebooks, diaries, an unfinished novel, several short stories, drawings, and prints that he found in his attic belonging to Petr Ginz.
“Petr Ginz was born in Prague in 1928. He spent his adolescence in the children's home in the Terezín Concentration Camp. He was talented at writing and drawing. By age 14, he had written five novels along with other writings and drawings. He edited the youth newspaper, Veden. On September 28, 1944, he was put on a train to Auschwitz and sent to his death.
“The Czech Republic is paying homage to the teenager by publishing the recently found diaries with his younger, surviving sister, Chava Pressburger. It was titled ‘My Brother's Diary.’ The diary was published in Czech, Spanish, and English in April 2007. In English, it was published as ‘The Diary of Petr Ginz 1941–1942.’ The diary entries, poems, and drawings offer insights into the reality of everyday life of Jews in wartime Prague.
“The Czech Postal Service issued commemorative stamps with Petr Ginz's photo and his famous drawing, ‘Moon Landscape.’ The asteroid 50413 Petrginz was named in his honor.
“On one of my visits to the Czech Republic, I visited Terezín Concentration Camp. There were no gas chambers there, so those selected to die were sent to Auschwitz. It is haunting to think that such a young, talented, individual could be sent to his death in the gas chambers. Nazism was a tragedy in recent history.”
M.Ganesan from the Indian state of Goa wrote:
“Mr. Peter Ginz was the Czech Jewish artist whose copy of drawing ‘Moon Landscape’ was taken by an Israeli Astronaut Ilan Ramon on to the American Space Shuttle Columbia. Columbia was destroyed in a disaster on 1st February 2003. Shortly after the explosion of Space Shuttle Columbia, in which Ramon perished with the rest of the crew, a woman saw the picture on her television screen in Prague and let the world know she had Ginz's diaries.
“Mr. Peter Ginz was born on 1st Feb 1928 and was died on Sep 28th 1944 at the age of sixteen when he was transferred to Auschwitz Concentration Camp. A very intelligent boy, Peter Ginz wrote five novels including ‘From Prague to China’, ‘Arround the World in One Second’ etc. with his own illustrations.”
Hans Verner Lollike writes from Denmark:
“In 2003 the Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon decided to talk a copy of the drawing of the ‘Moon Landscape’ by Petr Ginz, who did this drawing while he was in concentration Camp Terezín, when he was only a boy. He was killed by the Nazis, and the copy of the drawing was destroyed with the American Space Shuttle Columbia.”
Charles Konecny from Ohio wrote:
“Petr was a gifted boy who excelled in writing many articles, stories, and novels. And he was also known for his art. Even though he made it to only age 16, and his life was made rugged by the Nazis, it is remarkable that he accomplished so much. It is also interesting to note his interest in ‘Esperanto’ language which I never knew existed. Another thing could be said for Petr, was that even though he was sent to the concentration camp, he continued his efforts in drawing and writing articles and a newsletter for the camp until Auschwitz ended his young life. To borrow from a refrain......Petr, we hardly knew ya.”
Thank you very much for your answers. For your information, in recent years Radio Prague has broadcast a number of programmes dedicated to Petr Ginz which are still available in our archives. All you need to do to access them is enter the name “Ginz” in the search box on our website.
Of course, I need to announce the lucky winner who will be sent a Radio Prague parcel. This time the prize goes to Mary Lou Krenek from the United States. My congratulations to Mary Lou. Those who haven’t been lucky this time can give it another try in July.
We are looking for the name of a Prague-born novelist who left the country at the age of 22 and moved to England in 1938. She later lived in India, France, Switzerland and other European countries and died in Italy in 2006 having published a number of novels and a travel book.
Please send us her name to [email protected] or Radio Prague, 12099 Prague, Czech Republic. Your comments are welcome at the same addresses. Mailbox will be back again on July 16. Until then, take care.
