Under A Cruel Star: A Life In Prague, 1941-1968

The idea of freedom is a driving force in Heda’s memoir. In her life, she is often without any freedom at all. Still, she is able to recognize it, and move toward it, by oftentimes by watching the natural world. She admires the grace and freedom of birds, to the point where she writes that she feels like a bird when she escapes Nazi imprisonment. Freedom is also what leads Rudolf to be an idealistic follower of Communist ideals. The revolutionary ideas he has drive him forward, though also lead to his eventual death. 

Heda experiences both chronic and acute moments of isolation throughout her life. At first, she is isolated in the concentration camps from the outside world. After escaping, she is isolated in Prague, where very few of her neighbors offer any support. After Rudolf is arrested, she is isolated yet again. Most of the communityeffectively shuns her, and this shunning continues for years afterwards.

In these moments of isolation that Heda becomes so accustomed to, there is perhaps the heightened opportunity for reflection and introspection. The pages of this memoir are filled with critical reflection, suggesting that isolation, although perhaps the most taxing aspect of Heda’s struggles, also provides fertile ground for transcribing the myriad hardships of her life.