David Short and Czechoslovakia: love begins with the verb

David Short first came to Prague as a student over fifty years ago. He
remained for the best part of six years, experiencing at first hand the
Prague Spring and then the Soviet-led invasion. He went on to become a
mainstay of Czech and Slovak studies in Britain, over nearly four decades
giving students at the University of London insights into the quirks of the
Czech and Slovak languages. Since his retirement and with a bit more time
on his hands David has focused on his work as a literary translator. It was
in acknowledgement of his huge contribution to Czech and Slovak studies
abroad he has just been given one of the Czech Republic’s most respected
literary awards, the George Theiner Prize for 2018. David Vaughan spoke to
David Short about his life and work.