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In February 1968, the only accredited American journalist in Czechoslovakia immerses himself in the Vltava river.
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Top Post editor Levy dies at age 72
Prague booster, writer, raconteur experienced two epic historical eras
By
Mark Nessmith
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
(April 8, 2004)
Alan Levy, editor-in-chief of The Prague Post, died peacefully in Prague April 2 after a brief battle with cancer. He was 72.
During a career that spanned nearly half a century, Levy interviewed political and cultural icons, covered the Russian-led invasion of Czechoslovakia and wrote 18 books. Expelled from the country in the early 1970s, he returned in 1990 and helped document the post-revolution changes in the city he cherished.
"The miracle of my life is to awaken every morning in the 21st century -- in Prague," he wrote.
Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla praised Levy's legacy of caring for the Czech Republic.
"His death is a loss not only for his relatives and journalism but to the same measure for the Czech Republic," Spidla said. "We, and the Prague that he loved, will really miss him."
Levy moved to Prague in 1967 with his family. He arrived having agreed to collaborate on an American version of a musical by Jiri Slitr and Jiri Suchy.
In 1968 Levy covered the Prague Spring, a brief period of reforms, and later that year, the Warsaw Pact invasion. He chronicled the events in Rowboat to Prague, published in the United States in 1972. Josef and Zdena Skvoreckys' publishing house, 68 Publishers Toronto, translated the book in 1975, and visiting emigres smuggled it back to Czechoslovakia, where it became an underground classic. It was republished in 1980 as So Many Heroes and translated into numerous languages.
After Czechoslovak authorities expelled Levy in 1971, the family settled in Vienna, where he wrote for the International Herald Tribune, Life, Good Housekeeping, the New York Times Magazine, Cosmopolitan and others. He was dramaturge of Vienna's English Theatre and taught literature, writing, journalism and drama.
Clarion call
He returned to Prague in 1990, and in 2002 he wrote: "I dreamed only of seeing Prague again before I died. Isolated in Austria by an Iron Curtain ... I nonetheless had a premonition that somehow I would die here. It never dawned on me until soon after 1989's Velvet Revolution that first I could live here."
Hired as editor-in-chief of The Prague Post in 1991, Levy continued working until his death.
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Levy inspects rebel Mario Ramos' American-made rifle in Varadero Beach, Cuba, in January 1959. Raul Paulio Garcia, a 17-year-old rebel, is on the left.
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American Gene Deitch, a longtime Prague resident who has known the Levy family since 1967, said Levy "wanted to be the editor-in-chief of The Prague Post and he did it."
"He really was an excellent writer. He also had a great deal of ego and ambition and was able to get what he wanted," said Deitch, an Oscar-winning animator and author of For the Love of Prague. "He always told me it was the most satisfying job of his life. He said the only way he would leave the newspaper was feet first."
Levy's Prague Profile was among the most popular features in the Post, appearing 549 times. In his own words, it sought to capture "the nuts and bolts of what it was like and how it felt to live and be in liberated Prague."
In the first issue, Levy wrote, "We are living in the Left Bank of the '90s. For some of us, Prague is Second Chance City; for others a new frontier where anything goes, everything goes, and, often enough, nothing works. Yesterday is long gone, today is nebulous, and who knows about tomorrow, but, somewhere within each of us, we all know that we are living in a historic place at a historic time."
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Levy, background left, was mistaken for Jacqueline Kennedy's Secret Service man at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.
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Levy in local pub Rocky O'Reilly's in February 2002.
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In the wake of that article, even more young people poured into Prague from North America and all over the world. "Because of his boosterism ... in the early 1990s it was nearly impossible to pick up an American newspaper without reading an article in which he hyped all the happenings in Prague," said Marc Ballon, a reporter at the Post in 1993 and '94.
A life in letters
Levy was born in New York Feb. 10, 1932. He studied at Brown and Columbia universities. He worked seven years as a reporter for the Louisville Courier-Journal in Kentucky and later spent seven years in New York writing for Life magazine, the Saturday Evening Post, the New York Times and others.
He interviewed W.H. Auden, the Beatles, Fidel Castro, Graham Greene, Vaclav Havel, Sophia Loren, Vladimir Nabokov, Richard Nixon and Ezra Pound.
In 1993 he published The Wiesenthal File, telling the story of controversial Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal. The book earned Levy the Author of the Year award from the American Society of Journalists & Authors. Levy also wrote a play, The World of Ruth Draper, and wrote the libretto for Just an Accident?, a symphonic requiem by Austrian composer Rene Staar.
In November 1998 the Czech National Symphony Orchestra performed Just an Accident? at Dvorak Hall in the Rudolfinum. In the refrain, the soprano sings: "Life is fragile. Death is final. Any one of us can leave this hall, turn a corner and be no more." Following the performance, held at his favorite concert venue, Levy stood triumphantly on the stage. He took five bows before the applause ended.
Levy is survived by his wife, Valerie; daughters Erika and Monica; and two granddaughters.
Paying Tribute
"Alan Levy chose to become active in our country during what was for us a
very sensitive and important period -- the time of creating a free, open
environment for the media. Because of his human qualities and professional
experience, he quickly became recognized as a not inconsiderable figure
for whom I had great respect. What is more, I regret him leaving us at a
point when a number of Czech media outlets are blurring the limits between
serious and tabloid journalism."
Vaclav Havel,
former president of the Czech Republic
"Alan Levy was a man who loved not only journalism but also our country, which he first got to know during the dramatic period of 1968. His death is a loss not only for his relatives and journalism but to the same measure for the Czech Republic that he loved. We will really miss him."
Vladimir Spidla,
prime minister
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Levy meets Pope John Paul II.
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U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic William Cabaniss was one of the last people he interviewed.
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Levy protests The Prague Post's carrying cigarette advertising by wearing a surgical mask in the office.
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"When my wife, Catherine, and I met Alan, we encountered that combination of journalistic inquisitiveness, precision, wisdom, empathy and wry humor that made Alan unique. I last saw Alan two weeks ago, still full of fascinating stories and still covering the latest news and events, in spite of his debilitating illness. Diplomats come and go, and there is a long list of U.S. ambassadors now spread around the world, whose understanding of the Czech Republic was enriched by Alan's insights, and who will long remember his charm, warmth and wit. Alan, we thank you, and we will miss you."
William Cabaniss,
U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic
"I think of Alan as a person loving life and people so much and trying to find the truth in difficult situations. I think he was very sincere and really wanted to discover how things are. I saw how professional he was, how he was able to talk with people really deeply. He had a way of finding the little pieces that when put together make history. At The Prague Post he made, with others of course, a testimony to everything happening here since the Velvet Revolution. The American view is unique, and so the newspaper will be an important archive in the future."
Sylva Danickova,
Academy of Sciences editor and a heroine of Levy's 1972 book So Many Heroes
"He had endless interest in everything that was going on around him. I never knew anyone with more enthusiasm and diligence toward his work. These were his characteristics until the last day of his life. He was not judgmental about people and he had empathy for their errors. That is also how he saw our republic. Her democracy was the center of his interest."
Martin Otava,
stage director, State Opera
"I have been doing the theater since the mid-1970s and since that time I have met few journalists like Alan Levy. He loved theater and understood what he was writing about. This is enough so that he will ascend to journalism heaven. Along with my colleagues we counted him among our theater family. On April 4 news arrived from The Prague Post saying that readers evaluated the National Theater as the best theater in Prague and we were happy; then we learned of Alan's death the next day and we were seized by sorrow. His place at our table is empty but his work and smile remain."
Daniel Dvorak,
director of the National Theater
"Alan had a special talent for getting inside another person's head, for understanding him or her by asking endless interesting questions that revealed your personality, interests and life stories. His profiles were great reading because he introduced his readers to so many characters and unusual lives. Alan was also a very good editor, who brought out the best in his writers and created the best English-language weekly newspaper in Eastern Europe.
"
Jim Ottaway Jr.,
former news director, Dow Jones
"Alan was a pioneer who knew more about the consequences of the 1950s in Czechoslovakia than me, and I am from Czechoslovakia! He was an archivist. He also kept a lot of good music in his cupboards ... even John Lee Hooker."
Martin Kratochvil,
jazz musician and co-founder of Bonton
"It was indeed tragic to learn of the death of Alan. He was a man of letters,
a scholar and a friend. During my seven years as music director of the Czech
National Symphony Orchestra, Alan and Val missed only one concert. He always
brought me two copies of The Prague Post following each concert to keep me
informed of your strong support. He told me that one of the happiest moments
of his career was our Prague performance of Just an Accident?, for which he
wrote the libretto. Prague will never be the same without Alan. We shall all
miss him."
Paul Freeman,
director, Czech National Symphony Orchestra
"The 1960s that brought some freedom are inherently related with the name of
Alan Levy. My friend, Jiri Slitr, got to know him in the United States and
made a deal there concerning the translation of our jazz opera into English.
Alan charged himself with the task in finding a theater in New York that
would perform our piece. The plan failed in the end but unexpected
friendship emerged here between my family and the family of Alan. Our
children used to play together and we also used to spend days together at
our cottage. We used to see each other from time to time in Semafor
[Theater] and also during demonstrations in 1969 when we were commemorating
the anniversary of the invasion of "friendly armies" into our country.
Then a day came when I heard Alan's voice on the telephone early in the
morning. He was announcing me in his broken Czech: "Today is not a good day
-- I have been expelled." I can still hear this sentence -- the time hasn't
erased it from my conscience. Indeed, it wasn't a good day. A short farewell
and then a long separation followed.
Then November revolution came and we met again. That day, for a change, was
a good one. And the time went on. I can hear the sentence "today is not a
good day" these days again and very clearly. Alan Levy was expelled again.
And this time there is no hope in his return."
Jiri Suchy,
director and founder of Semafor Theater, Prague
"He was really one of the great among the greatest -- beyond measure of
country and place and Prague and the Czech Republic, as well as the United
States -- for certain. We will certainly miss him. Alan was one of the most
important people and pillars to all foreigners in Prague. His attitude in
facing life and death is an example of the most noble nature in human
beings. I shall always treasure Alan's zest for life, friendship and genuine
human spirit.
Prague and The Prague Post will never be the same again for those of us who
met Alan and his wife, Val, a great, brave, valiant and courageous couple.
If Alan could write his wonderful column the way he did it was undoubtedly
because of the support of his wife."
Juan E. Fleming,
Argentine Ambassador to the Czech Republic
"Alan Levy was a great personality with a huge feeling toward his Czech
surroundings and Czech music. He was real connoisseur of cultural life,
proficient journalist and last but not least generous human being. All of
the cultural community will miss him."
Vaclav Riedlbauchl,
managing director, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
"There were such strong ties between Alan and young English-speaking
community. They used to say that he represented their father in Prague. His
ability to communicate so well helped to open his heart to the world. Alan
also liked good food -- and he didn't like fast food. He was able to
appreciate food, and respect it. He celebrated his birthday at our
restaurant all the 12 years he lived here and we were always looking forward
to his visits; we knew that he was able inspire a good atmosphere."
Nada Cernikova,
co-owner of At the Knights of Malta restaurant (U
Maltezskych rytiru), Prague 1
"Alan was a remarkable character and a very special colleague -- a tremendous
enthusiast, yet also a most meticulous editor. He was so full of life and
vitality that it's hard to believe he is no longer with us. It is a little
consolation that he died where he would have wanted to be: in his beloved
Prague, and in harness -- writing his column to the last."
Martin Huckerby,
(managing editor of The Prague Post, 1992-1996; now
editorial consultant, London)
"Alan was enormously generous with his time and with whatever help he was
able to provide, and fortunately he was rather indiscriminate. That's why he
made a real difference in a great number of lives, and was crucial in
helping some people -- me, for example -- change their lives completely.
Thanks, Alan."
Siegfried Mortkowitz,
Prague Post staff writer, 1995-2000; Paris
correspondent for the English-language service of the German Press Agency
(dpa).
"A fellow at an influential London think tank once asked me why The Prague Post had become such a major influence when so many of the newspapers started by 20-somethings across Eastern Europe had folded. My answer? The single biggest factor was Alan Levy -- not only a journalist who knew his patch as well as anyone I've ever worked with, but a mentor to hundreds of aspiring journalists from all over the world who had the good fortune to work with him. He insisted on the best from himself and from everyone around him. The newspaper, Prague and journalism will be poorer without him."
Richard Allen Greene,
senior broadcast journalist, BBC News Online; former managing editor of The Prague Post (1999) and reporter/culture editor (1992-99)
"There were so many nights where others had gone home and he was still working. There are very few foreigners who cared about this country the way that he did. I hope the government, or even dear Mr. Klaus, will find a way to honor him for the service he did. He spent his whole life trying to let people know that this country had a place in Europe. When other people were bitching about life here, he tried to make them see it more deeply."
Douglas Lytle,
European economics editor, Bloomberg News; managing editor of The Prague Post (1992) and reporter (1991-94); author, Pink Tanks & Velvet Hangovers
"We deeply appreciate his work as a journalist, which not only helped promote the festival in Karlovy Vary, but also played a role in popularizing Czech cinema and culture. Through his work and life, he brought countless people into contact with the culture of the Czech Republic. We had hoped to be seeing Mr. Levy and his wife again this year at the festival. We are very sorry that his place will remain empty."
Jiri Bartoska,
president of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF); Eva Zaoralova, artistic director, KVIFF
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"I'm still forming and maybe I'll find out who I am when I read my obituary. Until then, I work hard, play hard, take good care of my health and enjoy life to the hilt."
Alan Levy,
former Prague Post editor-in-chief
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