Events: January 2019
December 2018
February 2019
A reading for Josef Škvorecký
January 7, 2019, 18:30
Josef Škvorecký, one of the most important post-war Czech writers and the founder of the exile publishing house ‘68 Publishers, died seven years ago, on 3 January 2012. A host of personalities, aficionados of his work, experts and readers will read from his books. More
The Insanity Defence
January 9, 2019, 19:00
A small Woody Allen symposium held in connection with the publication of Obhajoba Šílencova, a Czech translation of his collection The Insanity Defence by Michael Žantovský and Dana Hábová.
Debate with Respekt
January 10, 2019, 19:00
Discussion with Respekt editors and their guests on a topical issue. For more information go to www.vaclavhavel.cz
Terje B. Englund – The Spy Who Arrived Late: The Czechoslovak Intelligence Service in Norway
January 14, 2019, 19:00
The Norwegian Bohemist and journalist Terje B. Englund is interested in Central and Eastern Europe and in particular the Czech Republic, where he has been living for 25 years. This is borne out by his newspaper articles and books, including his latest title, which explores in detail Czechoslovak espionage relating to Norway from the Communist takeover of 1948 until the fall of communism in 1989, placing it in the broader context of Norwegian-Czech relations and events in Europe. He draws on archival materials and eye-witnesses account to flesh out specific human stories. The book features such figures as Milada Horáková, Karel Kryl, writer Egon Hostovský and General František Moravec, who from London sent Kubiš and Gabčík to assassinate Heydrich. More
Republic Café: Waiting for Palach
January 15, 2019, 19:00
The personal sacrifice of Jan Palach in January 1969 became one of the most powerful symbols of resistance to the occupation of Czechoslovakia and the onset of normalisation. The annual honouring of his memory was therefore understood as a political act and in January 1989 it escalated into several days of protest that were the biggest expression of resistance to the totalitarian regime since the start of the 1970s. The demonstrations’ brutal quelling and police strikes led to further protests that foreshadowed the root and branch changes that followed 17 November 1989. More
Nadia Urbinati: Democracy: Decline or Transformation?
January 17, 2019, 19:00
Contemporary democracy has been going through a series of crisis moments, from a fall in electoral turnout and a decline in party membership to the rise of right-wing populism. However, the question remains as to what these individual phenomena say about the state of democracy in general. Is what we are experiencing the gradual decline of democracy, or its transformation? And if it is the latter, what does it entail and what challenges does it bring? More
Václav Havel: Tomorrow
January 21, 2019, 19:00
As part of a season marking the 100th anniversary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia, we present a stage reading put on by one of the top Czech theatres, Liberec’s Divadlo F. X. Šaldy. More
Bernd Posselt: The Story of Europe
January 22, 2019, 19:00
Elections to the European Parliament will take place in May 2019. In view of the current political situation in Europe these elections can be expected to set the future direction of the European Union. More
Edward Luce: The Retreat of Western Liberalism
January 23, 2019, 19:00
Presentation of Edward Luce’s book The Retreat of Western Liberalism with international affairs specialist Michael Romancov from the Political Studies Institute at Charles University’s Faculty of Social Science. More
Karel Skalický: The Church in Europe, Europe in the Church
January 24, 2019, 19:00
Mons. Karel Skalický is a Czech Roman Catholic theologian, academic, writer, priest, teacher and an emeritus professor at the Pontifical Lateran University and the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, where he is based at the Faculty of Theology. An exile in Italy from 1956 to 1994, he has been an editor at the theological review Studie, a spiritual councillor to young people at St. Peter’s Oratory in the Vatican, a spiritual steward to Czech exiles in Italy, the second secretary of Cardinal Josef Beran and the recipient of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. Since his return to his homeland he has been a supporter of the revival of academic theological life. More
The Uyghur Region Under Chinese Government: Re-education Camps and 21st Century Digital Dictatorship
January 28, 2019, 19:00
The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is, like Tibet, a focal point of ethnic unrest in China. The oases bordering the Taklamakan Desert and the area of steppe in the Dzungarian basin didn’t become part of China until the 18th century. Until recently the Muslim ethnicity, Uyghurs in particular, predominated in Xinjiang. The Chinese Communists took control of the region in 1949, while Xinjiang has been ever more closely integrated with the Chinese state since the launch of reforms 40 years ago. Its mineral wealth and fertile soil have drawn Chinese colonisers to Xinjiang. The repression of the native population has led to constant tensions in the province, which escalated into unrest in Ürümqi in 2009 and a series of violent incidents and terrorist attacks. Since Xi Jinping took office in 2012 the situation of Uyghurs in Xinjiang has rapidly deteriorated. More
France Today
January 29, 2019, 19:00
In November the Giles Jaunes (Yellow Vests) began protesting against the growing cost of fuel and accommodation. Who exactly are these demonstrators and what are their specific concerns? Will President Emmanuel Macron withstand “the pressure of the streets”? More
Jan Šolc: Life in Liberec
January 30, 2019, 16:00
Presentation of Žít V Liberci (To Live in Liberec) a memoir by Jan Šolc, who was a colleague and advisor of Václav Havel’s, a spokesperson for Civic Forum and a Federal Assembly deputy and has lived in the city since 1945. As a teacher, mentor and discussion partner, he is most familiar with the young generation. More