When my wife and kid enjoyed the warm beaches during our annual Florida vacation, an active person like me scouting for unusual and beautiful, found in the local museum collection of pop-up books by Vojtěch Kubašta. Paper “Umelec”(Artist In the Czech language) put the old-world’s overwhelming charm into the pop-up world. In Florida, unexpectedly, I was back in Prague still remembering the charm of the Old City, The antiquariat where I was buying the 19 century, old human anatomy books with wonderfully illustrated pop-up cut out of organs you can move to see the next layer of the human body. The “Wlasky salad” and “housky” buns I was buying in the neighborhood store every morning.
Vojtech Kubasta was able to transfer the charm of the old-world into the pages of his books. For me, it was a sudden transfer into the charming and long-forgotten world.
The language I was able to master enough to start reading books in Czech quickly. Places where everybody wishes you a Good day regardless if you know anybody there. The strange way the coffee is served and people keep utensils when they are eating. During the fall, the dark sweet cherries I was eating sitting among the branches of huge cheery tries in an old palace park—the dark memory of the day I had to leave this newly discovered and charming world behind. After so many years, it still hurts.
Hej, Wake up. I have heard the voice of my wife. The curator of the Fort Lauderdale museum asked about the Vojtech Kucasta books’ collection agreed to show to us, my family, the treasures in his possession. I wish you the same experience.
But please do not go to Prague for the Beer drinking trip. Lucky I was able to enjoy the old city before the era of tourist invasion. There still were old antique cars on the streets, dark cities after sunset, and beer number 10 showing without question automatically up the front of every new guest in the local “Wycep” (Pub)
