lowering the standards of the text. To me, the highest form of recognition is when
the layperson enjoys reading my work, even though he doesn’t quite understand it.
V. Z. K.: Your reply to my request for an interview started like this: “Dear
Viktor, thank you, that is most kind. Although such a retrospective interview is
the anteroom of the obituary, I am happy to oblige". I admit, I laughed out loud
reading this. I suspect this was meant as a joke and you have lots plans you look
forward to. Can you tell us about some of these plans?
K. B.: I would like to spend more time in Spain. I became enchanted with
Andalusia and I bought a flat there. As far as the writing is concerned, my most
productive period was the time I spent in Spain two years ago. In fact, I wouldn’t
really be doing anything different there, than at home. But I could learn proper
Spanish at last, and be among friendly, smiling people from time to time.
I would like to dive deeper into the topic of dealing with the past, it is actually
something that would be useful for my teaching as well. I think I may be able to
publish something that is different from the type of work that historians do. After
all, there comes a time when one can afford to write about things that they are
truly interested in.