With thanks to Ben Cameron at Cameron Publicity for putting us in touch with one another, it’s my pleasure to welcome Anika Pavel to stay in with me today to tell me all about her fascinating memoir.
Let’s Find out more:
Staying in with Anika Pavel
Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Anika and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me. Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening?
I brought in my autobiography entitled Encounter with the Future.
What can we expect from an evening in with Encounter with the Future?
The book is a collection of autobiographical essays some of which have been published online, in print and nominated for Pushcart Prize.
How exciting. Tell me more.
“Travel is the university of life” is a quote that rings through the book. With a dictionary in hand, the learning begins at the London airport. After the Soviet Union invades Czechoslovakia and a lonely night at Victoria railway station, life goes on and has to be conquered by hard work and eternal optimism. After all London was at the height of its fabulousness, and being sad was not an option.
How did you counteract that sadness?
Waiting tables whether in a small restaurant or at the London Playboy Club can be hard work or fun, depending on the point of view. Graduating into TV with Two Ronnies, Frankie Howerd, Benny Hill, and movies, with Dick Emery, Confections of the Window, Golden Lady, and even a James Bond movie is a rich reward for all the hard work.
That sounds so exciting.
None the less, there were tense even tragic moments, death of a father, broken heart, and unsavoury and scary chases.
I imagine so.
But, travel did prove to be an education. The joy of the new generation continues in learning, traveling, and loving. As one of the readers put it: “A touching tale of a woman who makes it through the tornados of life and still comes out centred.”
What a brilliant definition Anika.
What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?
Music; The Beatles mostly although not exclusively. I write while I listen to the music. Many songs are as relevant today as they were when they were written; Give Peace a Chance… is the case in point.
Oh absolutely – more important now than ever I think!
I am an optimist, so I like to be in the company of books that lift my spirits. It saves my energy for the times when I have to swim up the hill, which in the past was quite often. Also, books set in history are a must, learning from past mistakes is all important!
I couldn’t agree more Anika. Thank you so much for staying in with me to chat about Encounter with the Future. It sounds an exciting and intriguing book. Let me give readers a few more details.
Encounter with the Future
Imagine if an 18-year-old girl landed across the iron curtain for the first time…alone.
What if that girl went from being a nanny, to a fashion model, to a playboy bunny, to an actress, and from London to Hong Kong, to the USA in a full and wonderful life encompassing rock n roll, new business ventures, a family and everything in between?
It is not a movie script; this is a real story
Anika Pavel was born Jarmila Kocvarova in communist Czechoslovakia. She bravely ventured across the iron curtain to England for what was intended to be a one-year stay.
As her life transpires, she goes from sleeping in phone booths to a Bond girl in the swinging London of the 1960s and 70s.
These are the stories of her life and the people she has shared it with. People stories. Heartwarming, tender, meaningful and captivating.
In a series of essays, some intimate and small, some touching upon the major historical moments of the twentieth century, Pavel takes us on an unforgettable journey.
Published by Castle on 15th February 2025, Encounter with the Future is available for purchase in all the usual places including here.
About Anika Pavel
Actress, model, essayist and writer, Anika Pavel was born in Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia and currently resides in the United States. After the brutal Soviet invasion of her homeland, rending her emigrant and homeless, she was discovered and became successful model and actress during the swinging 70th London. She managed a seamless transition from James Bond to motherhood. She moved across three continents challenging geopolitical divides. Encounter with the Future reflects this life still in motion.
For further information, visit Anika’s website, or find her on Instagram and Facebook.
