"It was obvious that we had to leave the country. That I would leave my mum and my sister behind and I would follow Peroutka wherever he went."
Slávka Peroutková (née Jaroslava Fenclová) was born on the 9th of November 1922 into the family of a bookseller, publisher and the owner of a travel agency. Her father committed suicide in 1933. During the war she was drafted to work for the Directorate of Youth Education, where during an air raid she met Eva Peroutková, the daughter of Ferdinand Peroutka. After the war she became his secretary at Svobodné noviny (the Free News), later becoming his partner. In May 1948 she was arrested while attempting to cross the borders. She managed to finally reach England after a sham wedding with Cecil Dee, though she had troubles getting a consequent divorce. After living in Britain for two years, she moved to the United States. In 1955 she married Ferdinand Peroutka. She worked at Radio Free Europe and was supportive of her ailing husband. After November 1989 she returned to her homeland.
