Talk:Jan Sviták

Copy-editing

Hi Antonin. Here we go! You're going to have to spell out a couple of points for me.

Does "family" plus "officer" in the first para imply the family as "officer-caste"? As in (socially) middle-class, traditionally with one or several family members serving in the armed forces? One reason I ask is that his father can't (as far as I know) be simultaneously employed by Skoda (which probably needs linking, btw) and be an officer - unless he was a reserve officer, of course. Haploidavey (talk) 16:19, 12 February 2011 (UTC)

re: Oyoy, such a shame. His father was not a soldier, he was a clerk! The mistake was caused by my naive misinterpretation (office --> officer). Please, forgive me my incompetence :) --Vejvančický (talk | contribs) 10:22, 13 February 2011 (UTC)

Aw, ain't that a pity. Still, wiki te absolvo. Haploidavey (talk) 13:24, 13 February 2011 (UTC)

Oh, I forgot, there's this too - you probably need a very brief summary of the protectorate, in addition to the link. I know it's a horribly difficult and complex issue, but most English readers will probably have only the vaguest ideas... Haploidavey (talk) 16:25, 12 February 2011 (UTC)

re: Okay, I've added a brief explanation to the section. Is it sufficient? --Vejvančický (talk | contribs) 10:22, 13 February 2011 (UTC)

Pretty much. Actually, that's a good piece of summary. You might just want to make it completely clear that this political settlement was imposed after invasion, not a voluntary alliance. Haploidavey (talk) 13:24, 13 February 2011 (UTC)

• I've copy-edited the lede (very minor stuff) and the first section. If there are any problems, please let me know here. Haploidavey (talk) 12:04, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

• Death. This is the trickiest section. Your original was, I have to say, a marvelously spirited and heartfelt piece of work. It's an utterly tragic story. However, you'll notice some cuts! I made these to avoid likely interminable wars sometime in the future. The text should be (in so far as is possible) completely neutral. That said, I also suggest that such telling phrases as "fanatical mob" might be restored if put thus, in quote marks, if they really are the phrases used in the sources. "He said" and "she said" is acceptable, where "we say" is not! Haploidavey (talk) 13:12, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

re: Excellent work, thank you. Yes, "fanatical mob" is the phrase used in my sources. As the main source I used Motl's book Mraky nad Barrandovem (Clouds Over Barrandov), describing the participation of Czech filmmakers in the Protectorate. Stanislav Motl is a well known and excellent investigative journalist and Nazi hunter, however, his book (and mainly the description of Sviták's case) is emotionally coloured, as well as the testimonies of the witnesses of the tragedy. The book is probably the only serious attempt to investigate the case properly ... I admit, Motl's interpretation and style apparently influenced my version. I'm not sure whether Sviták was a quisling or a martyr (and in my opinion it is impossible to come to a perfect answer), but you are right, the text must be as neutral as possible. Thanks for your work and helpful comments. --Vejvančický (talk | contribs) 14:35, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

Reliance on a single source is not ideal, of course. If you can find at least one other reference, that would help. But please, don't dilute what you've written. I'd rather read a lively, colourful and passionate article than robotic obedience to policy. Wikipedia too often makes interesting topics as dull as yesterday's dishwater (which I seem to recall you avoid whenever possible - a sound instinct). Haploidavey (talk) 14:57, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

Haha, your instinct is right! There's another source - the entry in the Encyclopedia of Czech Actors by Miloš Fikejz (available online and cited in the article), however, Sviták's entry is unimaginative and descriptive and you can't see the story, therefore I focused more on Motl's investigation and conclusions. To be honest, my initial intention was to show that truth, guilt, innocence, revenge and justice are very vague concepts in the war times. I think Sviták's terrible fate confirms this assumption. Thanks for your kind words, Davey :) --Vejvančický (talk | contribs) 15:31, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

Sviták was killed two days after the surrender of the Germans (May 9, 1945). Wouldn't be correct to state Czechoslovakia as place of death rather than the Protectorate? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.238.191.25 (talk) 18:16, 5 August 2012 (UTC)