Interview with the author of the novel Klub kamzíků (The Club of Chamois) about her desire for a free life. Martina Skala studied history and scenography in Prague and later collaborated on films by Roman Polanski, Miloš Forman and Philip Kaufman in France. She then began writing children’s books and doing illustrations and moved to California. In 2024, she completed the world's longest horse race in Mongolia. Following the most recent US presidential election, she decided to leave the country after 30 years and return to Europe. A reading and discussion will be presented by Joachim Dvořák from the Labyrint publishing house.

What should we know when heading to Baltic beaches or Jizera Mountains cross-country ski trails? A discussion between Polish reporter Zbigniew Rokita and journalist and writer Štěpán Kučera about territories “left behind by the Germans” that were settled by new inhabitants in the wake o f WWII. What role do they play in Polish and Czech historical narratives 80 years later? What is life like today in Gdańsk, Liberec, Wrocław, Jablonec and Opole, and do the locals feel at home there?  

It is not only the war in Ukraine that shows we are living in a time of major change. Few people have as much to say about the crisis of liberal democracy or the rise of authoritarians and populists in Central Europe (and beyond) as Magda Vášáryová, the legendary Slovak sociologist, diplomat and politician. She will introduce Než zmizím (Before I Disappear), a book length interview in which she speaks openly about the most pressing issues of our time. Petr Šabata, who conducted the interview, will also take part in the discussion, which will be moderated by Jáchym Topol.

On the eve of Veterans Day, the Václav Havel Library will offer an unconventional perspective on military service and returning from missions – through the eyes of women. What is it like to be a soldier in uniform and a mother at the same time? What is it like to live with someone who has returned from war a changed person? And how do women feel when they see their sons and daughters leaving for a mission? Female veterans, wives and mothers of Czech soldiers will speak about their experiences, strength and silent sacrifices. 

Disinformation and hate speech are permeating the public sphere, from manipulation surrounding the war in Ukraine to attacks on minorities. How do they spread, what are their impacts and how can we counter them without threatening freedom of speech? These questions will be discussed at the launch of the book Dezinformace a hate speech (Disinformation and Hate Speech) (Academia) by its authors: philosopher of language Tomáš Koblížek from the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences, security analyst Jakub Kalenský from the Helsinki-based Hybrid CoE, and lawyer Monika Hanych from the Czech Constitutional Court and Masaryk University. The event will be moderated by Studio N podcast host Filip Titlbach, while the book will be “baptised” by Klára Laurenčíková Šimáčková, who has served as the Czech government’s human rights commissioner.

Gulag a Československo. Velký terror (The Gulag and Czechoslovakia: The Great Terror), the second instalment of a book series mapping the history of repression of Czechoslovaks in the Soviet Union, will be presented by leading Czech experts on the subject. During the evening, they will explore the fate of Czechoslovaks during the USSR’s bloodiest period, when, during the two years of the Great Terror, thousands were sentenced to death or many years of forced labour in the Gulag and exile. They will also discuss research in Ukraine and Russia during the ongoing war, documented places of memory and the commemoration of victims of the Soviet regime.

While they formed a significant part of the dissident movement, few women remained in politics after 1989. Yet among them had been spokeswomen for Charter 77, organizers of the strike at the Gdańsk shipyards, members of Solidarity and committed anti-regime activists. Was the situation of women and men in the dissent different? Why do so few women in Central Europe get involved in politics? A debate between documentary filmmaker and writer Marta Dzido, director of a groundbreaking documentary about women in Poland’s Solidarity movement, sociologist Marcela Linková, co-author of a book of interviews with Czech dissidents and exhibition entitled The Revolution Begins at Home, and sociologist Oľga Gyárfášová, who conducted interviews with women from the Slovak anti-communist opposition for the book Ako sme žili v rokoch normalizácie (How We Lived During Normalization).

The year 1977 was one of the most dramatic periods in the life of playwright, essayist and human rights activist Václav Havel. After several days of interrogation following the publication of the Charter 77 declaration, along with house searches, Havel, already famous at that time, ended up in investigative custody on charges of subversion and damaging the country’s interests abroad. He was released after four months and ended up in prison again two years later, this time for more than four years. This is the basis for a comic strip micro-drama in which the hero struggles not only with the machinations of a totalitarian regime but also with his own inner doubts and weaknesses. Havel. Hrátky s čertem (Havel – Playing with the Devil), a brand new graphic novel by Michael Žantovský and Štěpánka Jislová, will be launched at the Václav Havel Library. Jáchym Topol will serve as host for the evening.

You can commemorate the Day of the Fight for Freedom and Democracy and International Students’ Day with us in the traditional Václav Havel Living Room on Národní třída, where Czech and Slovak personalities will read texts by Václav Havel and other authors throughout the day. You will also find a VHL stand with books and merchandise. We are preparing this event in cooperation with the association Díky, že můžem (Thanks That We Can) as part of the event Národní Promenade. An open day with a full program will run simultaneously from morning to evening at the Library at Ostrovní 13. For a detailed programme visit www.vaclavhavel.cz.

In the aftermath of 1989, Vaclav Havel thought that human rights, democratic values and foreign policy could advance hand in hand. Today the dominant trend seems, on the contrary, to favour power politics at the expense of Havel’s legacy. The language of human rights, spoken in the past by dissidents, and still used today by lawyers and advocates for victims’ groups, is rarely shared by diplomats and the wider public. In an international arena marked by brutal conflict and war, human rights discourse seems increasingly inadequate. What is left of Havel’s legacy is the possibility to formulate a foreign policy that does not ignore the defence of human rights.

Up in Flames: Where Paintings Ignite and Shadows Speak

The collection The Mad House (published in Czech as Mešuge dům) offers a new perspective on contemporary Israeli poetry. Reflective lyricism, combined with original music, expresses the restless soul of modern humanity – its hidden and revealed secrets alike. The author’s poetic language is uncompromisingly precise.

The discussion will focus on the role of education in protecting and nurturing democratic values. Guests will seek answers to questions such as how education can help foster dialogue, respect for different opinions and civic engagement in practice, and whether schools should focus more on performance or on developing social skills. The talk will also touch on the impact of the ongoing revision of framework educational programmes and their potential to change schools' approach to citizenship education. 

Debate and signing session in connection with České zbraně pro Ukrajinu (Czech Weapons for Ukraine), a new book by Ondřej Kundra and Tomáš Brolík on the background to the most important mission in Czech history. 

Every year 10 or so new plaques, monuments or memorials to the Holocaust appear in the Czech Republic at sites commemorating the tragic fate of Jews and Roma during WWII. The discussion will focus on the question of what purpose Holocaust memorials and monuments serve in the 21st century. The evening will conclude with the presentation of the book Pomníky a památníky holokaustu ve střední Evropě (Holocaust Memorials and Monuments in Central Europe). 

This year the Václav Havel Library is hosting the seventh Climate Change Communication Prize in Czechia, a prestigious award for scientists and experts on climate change organized by the United Nations Information Office for Czechia and the Learned Society of the Czech Republic. The Inspiration from Abroad prize will also be presented, for the second time, as part of this project. It will be bestowed on Hannah Ritchie, data scientist, Oxford University researcher and deputy editor-in-chief of the Our World in Data project. She will deliver a lecture, as will the winner of the main award for 2025. The event will be moderated by Daniela Vrbová of Czech Radio.