Few people are aware that Václav Havel wrote the story for a mime show. The silent, absurdist mime drama, which he wrote in prison in spring 1989, conveys authentic experiences while following, with exaggeration, the cycle of hope and despair in the actions of an innocent prisoner. After many years, Havel’s libretto for Perpetuum mobile, or 7 Days of Mr. A, is being taken on by young mimes from HAMU, who have re-imagined it in the modern context and perceive the theme of coping with the loss of freedom primarily as one of internal imprisonment. The first part of the evening will feature the theatrical performance itself. This will be followed by a short documentary film, A Normal Man and He’s Giving Nothing Away, in which students and their teachers reflect on how Václav Havel's work has inspired them, how and where they found the key to it, and where working on it has led them.

​The book Most špionů aneb má cesta z pekla ke svobodě (Bridge of Spies, or My Journey from Hell to Freedom) demonstrates an unusual strength of will and mental power, which should not be lacking even in our times, full of unconcealed efforts to establish a new totalitarianism. It will be “baptised” by Jiří Gruntorád, samizdat publisher and director of the library Libri Prohibiti, and moderated by its editor, journalist Adam Drda.

Discussion featuring editors from the weekly Respekt and their guests. For more information and the names of guests, visit www.vaclavhavel.cz prior to the event.

The people have changed but the cities remain. The new inhabitants were not given the opportunity to settle in their own way, and the Communist Party set the tone for discussion of the past. Thirty years ago, Jablonec had a second chance to reunite its bilingual history into one narrative; the Kaliningrad (Královec in Czech) region, after a cautious peek into Europe, closed itself off again. A discussion between Polish reporter Paulina Siegień and Czech writer and columnist Štěpán Kučera, author of Gablonz/Jablonec. Launch of a new translation of the book Královec. Město pohádka (Kalingrad: City Fairy Tale) from the Absynt publishing house.

The extensive monograph Zednáři, Masaryk, katolíci (Masons, Masaryk, Catholics), subtitled “The Thorny Path from Hatred to Dialogue”, is the result of many years of research and sheds new light on the political and social movement of the period. It maps in detail, among other things, T.G. Masaryk’s relationship to the Freemasons. This is the first such work in the history of Czech Catholic theology and historiography, from the revival to the present. It is also devoted to the historical figures mentioned most frequently in the pages of Masonic periodicals of the First Republic, namely to the perception of Jan Amos Komenský (Comenius) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by lodge regulars. The main part of the book deals with the history of the relationship between the institution of the Catholic Church and Freemasonry, chiefly on the basis of Church documents, as well as a series of dialogues between Catholics and Freemasons. During the discussion, the Masonic activities of Václav M. Havel and Hugo Vavrečka will also be presented in a broader context.

The novel Evropanka – historky z Polesí (European Woman – Stories from Polesí) is unparalleled in modern Czech history. Employing rich language, it describes stories that should have been forgotten, lives as long as several lives and also death, presenting the bloody 20th century seen through the lens of a Ukrainian woman with Czech roots. Alexey Sevruk is the author of the short story collection Divadlo tančících loutek (The Theatre of Dancing Puppets). He has also served as editor-in-chief of Plav magazine and now works at the Memorial of National Literature. He will discuss his novel Evropanka with critic Jan M. Heller, while excerpts from the book – and singing by the author – will also be heard. Jáchym Topol will introduce the evening.

What does the Czech intelligentsia look like? And why do we as a society need it at all, when, in the view of many, it brings no tangible benefit? According to the writer Pavel Kosatík, elites are important in order to give structure to society, enabling it to function precisely as a society, not just as a mob. In a series of texts published weekly on the website and in the printed Deník N, Kosatík presents the leading representatives of the Czech intelligentsia, men and women, from the beginning of the 20th century to the present in a brisk, readable style. The new book Česká inteligence 20. Století (The Czech Intelligentsia of the 20th Century), published in the Edition N series, includes profiles of the first 50 figures featured.

In cooperation with organisations Culture Reset and Literature Across Frontiers the Poetry Day festival brings you an evening with poets from Armenia, Poland, Wales, Slovenia and Serbia, who will discuss topical themes such as migration and cultural identity and read from their work. Tatev Chakhian, Zofia Baldyga and Gareth Evans-Jones are participants in the project ‘Counterpoint: narrating migration from the periphery as centre’, while Ivan Antić a Aljaž Primožič will be in residence in Prague as part of the project Ulysses Shelter. 

A debate with the renowned British historian and journalist about his latest book Homelands (published in Czech as Evropa, náš domov). In it, the author offers an insider’s view of the process of Western European integration and the transformation of Central and Eastern Europe between the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine. It depicts how Europe emerged from the devastation of war to democratize, unite – and later collapse. The debate will be chaired by Denisa Novotná, while translators Veronika Maxová and Jaroslav Veis will also take part. It will be followed by a book-signing session.

Beer dictates the pace and rhythm in Audience. The deeper the brew master, the key character of the play, dives into beer, the more persistently the question arises in his head: Why couldn't Ferdinand Vaněk write a denouncement of himself? Who else could know what they wish to know about him? It was enough to be inspired by everyday, “normalized” life, and Havel's most famous play was born.

The writers Nie Chua-ling and Chu Jou-sun and their fleeting encounter with Václav Havel

We would like to invite you to the launch of the new book by Czech TV reporter David Miřejovský. In Amerika na mušce (America in the Crosshairs), published by CPress, he maps his years working in the United States and focuses on the issue of guns and the attacks by unhinged shooters. The book will be “baptised” by Petra Flanderková, herself a former Czech TV reporter in the USA and a long-time foreign desk editor for its main news programme Události. Writer and former diplomat Michael Žantovský will moderate the evening.

Who needs theatre today and why? Is theatre a workshop of humanity? Who still believes that theatre is worthwhile? Theatre can be an illusion of the past and an advertisement of the future world, but more importantly, it can be a training ground for living, in spite of the circumstances. Professor Jana Pilátová is a university teacher, theoretician, critic and dramaturge. She teaches theatre anthropology, oversees creative workshops and the work of students, writes about her experiences, and translates literature in the field.

Presentation of the explosive poetry of Andrej Khadanovich (1973). Undoubtedly the most popular Belarusian poet of the younger generation, he is the author of five collections of poetry, a singer-songwriter and showman and vice-president of the Belarusian PEN-Centre. Translator Max Ščur and the music and poetry group Adagir will perform the author’s work, while Milena Fucimanová will host the evening.

The Jewish Museum in Prague would like to invite you to a discussion about current events in Israel and their possible consequences for the future development of the country. Confirmed participants are Irena Kalhousová, director of the Herzl Centre at Charles University, and Konstanty Gebert, a Polish journalist and one-time Solidarity member. Moderated by Emma Günsberger, chairwoman of the Czech Union of Jewish Youth.

Debate on the selection of candidates for constitutional judges has captured public attention recently. The main topic of this discussion will be the role of the Constitutional Court in the history of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. What role did it play in the interwar period? Who was its first president, who also served as the mayor of Prague? Why was it not restored after World War II? Under what circumstances was it established in 1991? Which personalities shaped its beginnings and further existence? What was the impact of its resolutions? And which lawsuits did it consider as part of coming to terms with the communist past?