Tachles, Lustig – CDmp3 (te Karel Hvala a Oldich Kaiser)

This Czech-language audiobook presents an honest and truthful conversation between Karel Hvala and Arnot Lustig, accompanied by two anecdotes. The interview took place in 2010 and 2011. The title refers to a Hebrew expression meaning an invitation to return to the subject and get to the point, something Lustig often avoided as he moved from Hvala’s questions into a wealth of fascinating but tangential stories. Lustig recalls his childhood and youth, his experiences in concentration camps, his post-war life, colleagues at editorial offices and universities where he lectured, and collaborators and friends in the Czech lands, America and Israel. A great lover of women, he also remembers important romantic encounters. After Lustig’s death on 26 February 2011, the answers to Karel Hvala’s questions are read by Lustig’s close friend Oldich Kaiser. Kaiser closely connects his interpretation with Lustig’s thoughts, becoming a remarkable alter ego while also adding some of Lustig’s favourite sayings.