Sex, disco and freedom. Ten years after the death of Ivan Jonák, more memoirs of the owner of Discoland are published

The source for Jonák’s books is not only his handwritten memoirs, but also an archive with correspondence, photos or videotapes. According to Pavel Čejka, the editor of these manuscripts, he was extremely systematic in his construction.

“He copied almost every letter he sent from prison in order to preserve the communication thread,” Čejka told Novinkám, who is compiling his complete story based on all the materials.

While the first part closes during the preparations for the opening of Jonák’s famous club in Prague’s Libni, the second part focuses on the years 1992 to 1994, when he had his wife murdered. “Discoland was a concentrated place in the post-revolutionary era, where a lot of things took place on the edge. But Jonák was not a tough mobster, rather a tragicomic disco boss,” he pointed out.

While working with Jonák’s writings, he was partly inspired by the literary method of the French writer Édouard Louis. In his autofictional prose, he views the story of his family from a different perspective each time.

Such an approach, according to Čejko, enables him to bring a slightly different perspective on notorious events. In the first book, he offered an atypical interpretation of the November revolution from the perspective of Jonák as a black taxi driver.

“He helped transport posters and actors to talks and demonstrations outside of Prague. He also became a central figure in one student cell, which, among other things, organized a fundraiser for the printing of banners. Jonák kept these piggy banks. When no one was looking for them in the revolutionary chaos, he simply kept the money,” he added.

While working with the text, he again encountered Jonák’s famous fabrication. In the first book, readers can encounter his megalomania or naturalistic descriptions of his sexual experiences, which give rise to speculation as to what was based on reality and when, on the contrary, he was fantasizing.

“Already in number one, I changed the names of some innocent people in order to preserve their privacy. I removed overly explicit passages that Jonák probably used to cure his sexual frustration in prison. This time I removed more of them to avoid tabloidization,” Čejka explained.

On the crowdfunding website Startovač is now collecting funds for the release of the second volume. According to the editor, the collection rather supports the acquisition of initial capital for printing.

“The book will 100% be published. Those who contributed will receive it at the end of the summer holidays, we will send it to regular distribution before Christmas,” says Čejka.

From the beginning, he closely cooperates with Jonák’s daughters on publications, who approve their final versions. In the future, the trilogy should be completed with a third part with the working title Retribution, in which Jonák’s retrospective view of Ludvika’s murder from behind bars will be devoted.