Milan Lasica Letter From 1992 Released by Daughter Hana
The dispute over an unauthorized book of interviews featuring the late Slovak actor and humorist Milan Lasica escalated on October 23, when his daughter, Hana Lasicová, published a 1992 letter on Instagram in which her father refused a threat from writer and former diplomat Jozef Banáš, zpravy.tiscali.cz reported.
Milan Lasica died in 2021. The disputed volume of conversations was published without family consent, appearing exclusively as a supplement to the weekly magazine Plus 7 dní rather than standard bookstores, according to zpravy.tiscali.cz.
Content of the 1992 Letter and Banáš Collaboration Allegations
In the video published on Instagram, Hana Lasicová displayed a draft of her father’s historical response addressed to Banáš using only an initial. According to a transcript published by Koktejl.sk and cited by zpravy.tiscali.cz, Lasica wrote: Čo to má znamenať? Mne sa vyhrážať nebudeš. Nebudeš ma ani vydierať. To, že si bol eštébák, mi nevadí, ale nezaťahuj ma do toho.
The letter continued: Ak chceš škandál, prosím. Aspoň sa ukáže, kto je Lasica a kto Banáš…
Aktuálně.cz reported that Lasica also wrote, Kdybychom se měli někoho opravdu zaleknout, musel by to být trochu větší formát, než jsi ty,
while maintaining distance from individuals linked to the communist regime.
Hana Lasicová stated that her father and Banáš were not friends. She asserted that the 1992 conflict began because Banáš threatened to publicly discredit the family if Lasica did not intercede for him on appropriate boards after his StB (State Security) collaboration was uncovered at the Viennese embassy, where Magda Vášáryová led the Czechoslovak embassy. According to zpravy.tiscali.cz, Banáš wrote in the original correspondence: Netajil som spoluprácu s ŠtB, ktorú však ja nazývam kontrolou.
Reactions From Family and Author Jozef Banáš
Jozef Banáš rejected the accusations of blackmail in a separate interview with Koktejl.sk, calling the book a celebration of Lasica and maintaining that Lasica agreed to the recordings originating from their Vienna meetings in the spring of 1990. Je to celé, samozrejme, hlúposť. Ak má na to dôkazy, tak nech ich ukáže a zverejní,
Banáš stated, adding that he had hoped the book would bring him closer to Lasica’s widow, Magda Vášáryová. Aktuálně.cz and zpravy.tiscali.cz noted that Banáš previously appeared in StB files under the codenames Lotos and Dodo, as reported in January 2005 by The Slovak Spectator referencing the daily SME, where Banáš admitted to filing reports to the StB while maintaining he harmed no one.
Magda Vášáryová stated her intention to stop the publication, noting, Pokúsime sa to zastaviť tak, ako sme to zastavili pred vyše rokom v IKARe,
referencing the Slovak publishing house Ikar. Hana Lasicová added that the family blocked the text through lawyers a year prior when Banáš assured them nothing of the sort would be published. The conflict also intersects with Banáš’s daughter, moderator Adela Vinczeová, a long-time friend of Hana Lasicová, through whom the family issued warnings regarding the unreleased transcripts.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Lasica Book Dispute
Where was the unauthorized book of interviews published?
The volume was not distributed in standard bookstores, but instead was released exclusively as a supplement to the weekly magazine Plus 7 dní, according to zpravy.tiscali.cz.
What codenames were associated with Jozef Banáš in StB files?
Jozef Banáš appeared in StB archives under the codenames Lotos and Dodo, a fact reported in January 2005 by The Slovak Spectator based on information from the daily SME.
How did Milan Lasica’s family attempt to halt the text previously?
The family previously blocked the text more than a year ago through legal representatives involving the Slovak publishing house Ikar, after which Jozef Banáš assured them he had no plans to publish the material, zpravy.tiscali.cz reported.
When did Milan Lasica and Jozef Banáš begin meeting in Vienna?
Jozef Banáš stated in the book’s foreword that he began meeting with Milan Lasica in the spring of 1990 in Vienna, where Magda Vášáryová served on the Czechoslovak embassy, according to zpravy.tiscali.cz.
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