Jan Hájek

“I applied to school of architecture. When it became clear I wouldn’t get accepted, I applied to civil engineering. I even got accepted but after just two weeks at a lecture they told me to stand up – and I was stupid enough to do so, instead of not giving a damn – and return my grade book, that the rector cancelled my admission, which was basically impossible. They did it publicly. And they ordered me to leave the lecture. Even though university lectures are public, anyone from the street can attend if there is place. So this is how my studies ended.”

“When I got to Norway, everyone thought I was a terrible leftist because my father had leftist political opinions and they would invite me to completely obscure events – more extreme than occultist sessions. After about half a year after arrival I found myself at a session of Social Democrats in the most luxurious quarter of Oslo, in an apartment with stucco. They had an accordion there, played workers’ songs and protested against the destruction of the health system.”