Karel Čapek

“ He has the thin and clouded voice of a man who is no orator, a face inscribed with thought and labour, a harmonious home, a pretty, petite wife as active as a linnet, two tall playful sons, eyes as if half-closed and veiled beneath the thick English brows. Unassuming and wise, healthy, strong, very well-informed and very matter-of-fact in all the good and vital implications of this phrase. You forget that you are talking to a great author, because you are talking to a thoughtful and all-round man. ”

“ He is a vegetarian, I do not know whether on principle or from gourmandise; one never knows whether people have principles on principle or for their personal gratification. He has a pensive wife, a soft-toned harpsichord, and windows looking on to the Thames; he sparkles with life and has heaps of interesting things to say about himself, about Strindberg, about Rodin, and other famous things; to listen to him is a delight coupled with awe. ”

“ He has a tall and beautiful wife, two waterproof sons and a blue-eyed baby, windows looking out on to the sea and the islands, a child-like mouth and rooms full of ancestors and pictures from the Czech lands: a refined and hesitant man of a more subtle countenance than you would expect from this severe and righteous Scottish pilgrim. ”