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Dear Reader,
We would like to introduce you to
Tonča, a remarkable
Czech woman
and the central storyteller of Small Doses of Arsenic. Born in
1905, she lived until 2001, a span of 96 years. We also want to
introduce you to Jára, Tonča’s son, who emigrated to the
United States in 1969 with his wife and daughter.
When Tonča was in her eighties, she began writing letters to Jára in
California. For the next ten years, this steady stream of letters incorporated memories that revealed a clear, humanized picture of 20th Century Bohemian society.
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Contents
Our Cottage
Near the
Creek
Rovensko
On My Own
Jablonec
Wife and Mother
Husband and Father
Surviving in Spite of It All
My Neighbors in Daliměřice
In-laws and Other Assorted Vermin
My Life with Josef Mužák
On My Own Again
Appendix
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Her chatty commentaries describe her
life
from the time she was three until she was
ninety-one. At times naďvely humorous, she discusses family life,
dating, fashion, marital life, housing, legal issues, neighbors,
schools, religion, illness, medical care, death, finances, jobs,
community services, and popular celebrations. At other times, her
acerbic tongue shows no mercy.
Tonča was guileless and
resolute in her determination to survive
amidst Nazi and
Communist intrusions in her daily life. Her letters offer a graphic
description of the common struggles of people in 20th Century Central
and Eastern Europe.
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