A Meeting with Diana Phipps Sternbergová

Dana Huňátová’s book Setkání s Dianou Phipps Sternbergovou (A Meeting with Diana Phipps Sternbergová) explores a distinctive member of an old Czech aristocratic family against the backdrop of modern history. The biographical story of Diana Phipps Sternbergová takes place from the middle of the last century until the present age. The writer presents fragments of Diana’s life during the dramatic decades of the 20th century. The Zásmuky and Častolovice stately homes were confiscated by the German occupiers during the war and nationalised by the Communists in 1948, when the Sternberg family managed to escape Communist repression to the West. Diana lived in various corners of the world and became a renowned interior designer. After returning to her homeland in 1990 she worked at the Office of the President under Václav Havel, where she chiefly focused on the interiors at Prague Castle and the Lány residence, as well as founding the Committee of Good Will with Olga Havlová.