“Sometimes the key arrives long before the lock. Sometimes a story falls in your lap.”
–Rebecca Solnit “The Faraway Nearby”
Though it is clear that I love the Fabry family very much, what might be difficult to believe is that I was not accepted by my mother-in-law, Olinka, and that I only met her once before she died. As much as I wanted to know her, there just wasn’t enough time, and I was very sad about that. So, you can understand how these papers have been a gift to me, to be able to get to know who Olinka was, to understand why she was difficult and the hell she had been through – I think of her with compassion and forgiveness.
Besides being a great cook(see photo above), one of the qualities I admire most about her was her skill at many languages – she was as gifted as her brother Vlado.
Here are a few pieces of ephemera from Olinka’s career:
It would have been easy for her to translate this document from the Prison de Saint Antione in Geneva(which is now the Palais de Justice), dated 1949, but it is not so easy for me. Who was in the prison? And why? Was it her father, Pavel? I am posting this here in hopes that Slovak readers will want to contribute a translation, if only to ease my curiosity. Please help!
(click image to enlarge)
Vlado 
Czech heritage museum is also a great idea, people are interested!
Don’t worry about annoying the embassy, they will probably be happy to have a distinguished countryman recognized! and if they aren’t it’s their loss. I also suggest contacting the University of Washington. I’m sure a student of professor would be happy to help you with research.
Well, when you put it like that, John’s idea about contacting the embassy sounds pretty good! Thanks for the suggestion of UW.
Can’t help, but hope you find a translator. Have you tried sending it to the embassy?
Thanks, but I think I would probably annoy the embassy by doing that. There is a Czechoslovak Heritage Museum, Library, and Archives that I found on facebook, so I will try asking them.
Mea culpa – someone else thinks your embassy idea was a good one – see above comment. I will give it a try 🙂