In 60´s you fell in love with rockn´n roll, had own band and was Czech first DJ.Was it then when your lust for freedom and indepenence was formed?Where did you learn your English?

I was one of the first three DJ´s.I loved that music and somehow got bunch of records at that time.We also listened to banned Radio Luxenbourg, I was really hooked by that music and I shared those feelings with people.It was late 67, early 68, you felt new freedom, people could travel abroad and I hitch-hiked to England, where I made interviews with all bands who meant something at that time.I spoke to two of The Beatles, two of the Rolling Stones, talked to Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin before their first gig with Eric Clapton, also I spoke to The Who.You know, at that time I had a programme in radio and also wrote for magazine „Aktuality“ and „Melodie“.Those interviews weren´t good cos I placed daft questions, but it was big enthusiasm in it.Strangely I never was interested in taking a picture with those musicians.I also remember that I lived with YES in their house for a week.When I came back I wrote about fantastic world up there in England.

My rockń roll band was called FORCE 69 and we played in puppet theatre in Prague .I came with stupid idea that we would play one song from each band and tell punters something about the band.Kind of education discussion, up until today I feel that joy from going to rehearsals and I wonder how come that I dared sing.Then we had to play infront of some board who killed us, cos they complained we had long hair and had no real personality.

So I jacked in playing and went to become a DJ.

I started to learn English as a young boy, thanks to my parents, and I would think I spoke better English then, when I tried hard to have some accent, than now, after living 30 years in New York.

What is your biggest experience from 60´?

It was January 1968 and ice begun to thaw.It came in waves and it was unreal that you could criticise something or someone and walk away with it.No censorhip, nothing.We elected Jaroslav Hutka (protest song singer, later forced to emigrate Ed) as chairman of our school.I could afford to go with fake invitation letter and apply for passport and go to England. Then came normalisation and all became grey.

In 1982 you were offered by Olympic committee to shoot sonnet for Olympic Games in Los Angeles.What made Olympic committee chose you?When you left for America, did you think about staying there for good?

Since 1969 to my departure to USA I managed to graduate at school, had my stint in national service, studied in England for a year and made three films.At that time one eigh-minute film took a year to make.My American adventure started when I won Golden Bear at Berlin film festival.in 1980.I was working on TV serie in Switzerland and England and then came invitation to USA to make that OG sonnet.“Short film studio“ sent me there for three months, but I didn´t leave with emigration thoughts.Otherwise I would have taken things that I treasured.Now and then I was invited by secret police to their office in Bartolomějská street in Prague and they asked me who did I meet and where.Also in the pub  people asked me how come that I can freely travel to Switzerland and that I am a swine to serve the regime.I felt that moment of life decision in behind the door.In USA I exceeded my working visas and I was talking to myself that I will manage to explain it.But then it was far too long and I became worried what will happen to me so I didn´t return.I got a citizenship in May 1989.

When Jan Tříska emigrated he was lucky cos he got a job in theatre and got good reviews in press.How did your first steps look like?Did you have a luck or friends helped you or your correspondence with Maurice Sendak was a boost?

First six years were very tough but I had a luck on my side. I had a book with me and it was about my favourite illustrator Tomi Ungerer who wrote, that it took him seven years before he earned money in USA to be able to buy his house and Rolls Royce.So I though this is the way it goes here so when I had nothing to eat for three years, I was thinking „ It´s still fine, I have fours years left on my side“.At the end we became friends with Tomi and he helped me big time.

Did you only write and illustrate in USA or you still made animated films but it diminished and diminished until writing and illustration got the nod?

I was making books with the view that they will be filmed.Then I realized that when in Czecho „Short film studio“ made those films, nobody went to watch them anyway so they put it ahead of some main movie and people either liked it or not.But they made these short films with love and creativity and with certain pride in Czech culture.In USA I realized if you have a producer there are many people who talk into it and tell you what you should and shouldn´t do and that you have to do it this way to get this group of people to come and watch it and it became bloody complicated.So I realized that with books I have more freedom.Books are like film, if you browse through it, page by page and they replaced films for me and I started to enjoy it.On other hand, when I am here in Zlín and I see this all around I say to myself that film has it´s beauty and logic.I personally admire Miloš Forman since he manage to go over all obstacles and he managed to do his ideas.He helped me a lot and after those years I realized that we all have our ideas which we try to push into realization and he made all films about human´s freedom and that no one should control anybody.The biggest right of a human being is to tell his opinion.So it was quite a shock when he made his Larry Flint

which is about our right to tell our opinions and America didn´t get it and insisted it was about pornography.Freedom is motto of my life.

How important for your job are critical reviews in papers like New York Times or you go your own way and don´t care?

Well, I can´t say I don´t erally care, I do pay attention to it but I realized that say in New York Times the edge is somewhere else.In early days there were three papers which wrote something and everybody knew who made it. Now in globalized world no one knows how does it work.The best advert for me would be someone with my book above his head walking on red carpet in Cannes.

Did you have to adjust your artistic language to that American style or your East Europan form had that magic which made you famous?

Interesting question.I think it met somewhere in the middle and I had to adjust.I wanted to bridge those two worlds since I thought that kids are the same everywhere and I will put them together, but is it so close but it still can´t be bridged.I think I kind of bridge it when I made a book with Mrs.Onassis „ Three golden keys“ which was bit romantic version of Prague.My books are firstly published in USA then in other countries.In Czech Republic they are published by Labyrint, but not all of them were publised there so when I talk to some people they don´t know the score.

Not every author can say his books are translated into languages like Greek, Japanese or Korean and he gets there awards.Where is that magic?Do you have good agents or your language can play on strings of people in many countries in spite of religion and race?

Good agents is the name of the game.Firstly the book is published in English, which is basic language.In one country one book doesn´t succeeed while in other country is it a hit, so you never know how it will end up.I don´t write specifically for one country.I also think that in Czech Republic there are many nice books but they need to be tranlated well.If you read Bohumil Hrabal in English, you see that some things can´t be translated cos they have it´s own philosophy.Same goes with Švejk.In that sence, languages like Czech, Romanian or Hungarian are in disadvantage to say German or French, they are kind of isolated.I have the best publisher in th world but am sure that if say 50 authors from Prague would have the same one, they would be also world known personas.

You are also an author of film posters e.g. Forman´s Amadeus.When you look at empty sheet of paper after seeing the movie, what do you have to put onto poster to catch people´s imagination.Are there any rules?

Most important rule is to attract people.I have made bunch of posters for film company in Czech Republic, it was always glued on the walls in Prague on Thursdays.I think if the film is good, people will go and watch it anyway. If film is stupid, no poster will bring people.I think there are rules but some people are born artists like Mucha or Warhol.

What is harder, write a good book or make a good film?

Hm, the best would be make a good film according to good book but I think both is extremely difficult.

Have you ever got any offer from producer to have your book filmed?

Yes, I had, many times.But is always faded into oblivion.During my life I always wanted to conrol everything from script onwards.But now I think if there is somebody who can make it, let him make it.One American playwright of Chinese origin who I won´t name, wrote a screenplay according to my book, but he changed almost everything in it and I was badly insulted by that.Had they put it into film, I would have been very ashamed.So, so far no film was made accoding to my book.

You have name, contacts, money.Would you like to make an animated film and do you think it would address as many people as your books and illustration?

Good question.Yesterday I have seen a film „ Little Mermaid“ and there is so much work, so many people and so much effort that I would like to make a film but I would have to be convinced that my idea is the right one.But realistically I think I don´t have power to do it anymore.