Mailbox
Today in Mailbox: driving habits in the Czech Republic, response to Letter from Prague, the “Forward Left” signature tune. Listeners quoted: Colin Rose, Charlie Cockey, Andrea Lazzeri.
Colin Rose follows our programmes both in the UK and in the Czech Republic. A recent Talking Point titled “What is to be done to make Czech roads safer?” inspired him to write in:
“I drive for three months of the year in Czech Republic and find the standard of driving appalling. In Prague it is bad but probably no worse than in many other cities. Elsewhere is the biggest problem. Overtaking is a national pastime. The preferred place is the brow of a hill or a blind bend; the purpose is to get in front. When achieved you then slow down to stop the car behind getting in front again. Headlights are an incentive for such dangerous action, maybe it makes the driver feel he is now an official in a position to scare others off the road (I do remember seeing this in the ‘previous’ times when two spotlights were the sign of officialdom).”
On a happier note, our listener Charlie Cockey from Brno enjoyed last Sunday’s Letter from Prague by Christian Falvey:
“Just a short note to say bravo for a delightful piece on the hapless Finn's unfortunate experiences during his hostel stay in Prague. They say that humor and misfortune go hand in hand, but it requires a sure hand in the telling to raise a series of misfortunes such as these from the pathetic to the hilarious – hilarious to all except of course the poor, and eventually besotted Finn. Humor is NOT easy to write, and Mr Falvey has managed it in high fashion – so, once again, Bravo! I'm still laughing – or, as I like to say, ‘Charlie chuckles’...”
And if you missed that particular Letter from Prague, you can go back to it on our website at www.radio.cz/english and click Letter from Prague in the menu on the left hand side.
Andrea Lazzeri writes from the Italian city of Pisa:
“From the '70s to 1989 I used to listen the Italian Service of Radio Prague. I was very familiar with its tuning signal. From your website I know that this signature tune was the ‘Forward Left’ anthem. Can you tell me more about it (full title, author) or give me directions where to find more information?”
The song “Kupředu levá” or “Forward Left”, celebrating the communist takeover of 1948, was composed by Jan Seidel and the lyrics were written by Bedřich Bobek. Jan Seidel was born just over a hundred years ago, on December 25, 1908 in the central Bohemian town of Nymburk where he studied high school. He went on to study civil engineering, architecture, fine arts and later composition at Prague’s conservatory under Josef Bohuslav Foerster and Alois Hába. Among his works are a number of songs celebrating the communist regime but also the score to the film version of The Good Soldier Švejk. He was a teacher, art director in theatres and record companies and for a period of time he was director of Prague’s National Theatre Opera and also the Prague Spring music festival. Jan Seidel died on May 23, 1998, away from media attention.
Just a reminder that you have a few more hours until the deadline of our monthly competition in which you are asked to send us the name of the mystery man who was born in 1862 in the North Bohemian village of Jiřetín pod Bukovou into a family of a glass cutter. He went on to start his own glass cutting business in Austria and his surname today is a brand name for precision cut crystal glass.
Next week you will find out whether your guesses were correct and whether you are one of the lucky winners of our prize. The addresses for your letters and e-mails are [email protected] or Radio Prague 12099 Prague. Thanks for listening today and until next week bye-bye.
