Remembering a wonderful woman, Věra Čáslavská
31. 8. 2016When I was visited a few years ago by Věra’s son Martin, asking for help for his mother who are falling into black depressions, I met another Věra. Not the legend admired by the whole world, including me, but Věra the mother, wounded in her essential womanhood, crushed by fate.
I do not know whether I was of any use in those long conversations that we’ve had. This beautiful, brave woman who did not know fear was paradoxically giving up. When she regained strength, very often we would correspond.
She wrote to me and sent me an MMS from her beloved Mexico, she was happy. She was making a documentary, ‘Věra’, with Olga Sommerová. I regret that I was unable to attend the premiere of the film, although she had wished it very much. The documentary was recently broadcast on television. I was so proud of her, full of admiration for the proud, strong, forthright, rare and beautiful woman. The film showed the full depth of her personality. I wrote to her how much I respected her.
That time she did not reply to my SMS. Now I know why. I am crying.