Events: October 2024
September 2024
November 2024
Karel Pecka – Fission and Fever
October 1, 2024, 19:00
New editions of the novels Štěpení (Fission) and Horečka (Fever) by the eminent writer, political prisoner and dissident Karel Pecka. Stories of courage, bravery, loyalty and betrayal in the typical “Pecka-esque” raw style. The publication concludes a seven-year project of “rediscovering” Pecka’s work by the publishing house Nemohujinak.cz. The adventure-filled life of the writer and his books will be discussed by literary and film critic and writer Jan Lukeš, artist Jiří Slíva (who illustrated Štěpení), journalist Lída Rakušanová and publisher Daniel Pagáč. More
12th International Conference in Honour of the Laureate of the 2024 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize
October 2, 2024, 13:30 Conferences
Why Should We Care? “The only lost cause is one we give up on before we enter the struggle.” Václav Havel (Summer Meditations, 1991) Under the auspices of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavský More
Finist the Bright Falcon
October 2, 2024, 20:00
Stage reading, Divadlo X10 theatre company, directed by Ondřej Štefaňák. Finist the Bright Falcon, a documentary play about women who have married Islamic State fighters and followed them to Syria, won Russia’s prestigious Golden Mask theatre award. However, in 2023 the play became a pretext for its writer Svetlana Petriychuk (44) and director Evgenia Berkovich (39) – who had both publicly condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine – being tried and sentenced to six years in a penal colony. We wish to express our support for both unjustly imprisoned women with a stage reading presented by Divadlo X10, which was named theatre company of 2023 and regularly addresses the topic of human rights and freedoms. As a man of the theatre, Václav Havel was also jailed for several years for his views, and every sliver of support from the free world meant hope for him. More
The Free Academy: Jan Kysela
October 7, 2024, 19:00
The Czech Constitution: Creation, Development, Issues More
Circus ÚSTR: The East, Near and Far
October 8, 2024, 19:00
The history of the 20th century and contemporary totalitarianism in the global context More
Upcomming events
Franz Kafka, Inquisitive Traveller Around Europe
October 10, 2024, 19:00
This year marks the centenary of Franz Kafka's death. Journalist Judita Matyášová and photographer Jan Jindra present the famous writer as an inquisitive traveller throughout Europe who was fascinated by modern technology, enjoyed sports and was interested in a healthy lifestyle. This year, the Labyrint publishing house released S Kafkou na cestách (On the Road with Kafka) by the authorial duo. The new publication is part of the project Franz Kafka’s Journeys, which Jindra and Matyášová founded in 2003. It was aimed at mapping dozens of places across Europe where Kafka travelled on holiday or on business and the authors have documented locations in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France. In this talk they will discuss how the search for authentic Kafka-related spots, which literally resembled detective work, was carried out.
Andrey Zubov: The Future of Russia
October 14, 2024, 19:00
Russian historian Andrey Zubov was forced to leave his native country in 2022 and accepted an invitation from the rector of Masaryk University to lecture in Brno. A collection of his lectures in Czech, collectively titled Ruská katastrofa a možnosti, jak ji překonat (The Russian Catastrophe and How to Overcome It), is now being published in book form. Through the study of Russian history, the author seeks answers to two closely related questions: why since the Bolshevik takeover has Russia been a constant source of aggression throughout the twentieth century? Is there any hope that Russia will radically transform itself, cease to be an aggressor and become a peaceful state, a democratic country like those in the EU and NATO? Professor Zubov believes that his writings will contribute to a better understanding of the tragic fate of his people in past and present centuries, the processes that led to war, and thus to the building of a more lasting peace in its aftermath. More
Launch of Olga Havlová Charity Calendar
October 16, 2024, 19:00
The Committee of Good Will - Olga Havlová Foundation will officially “baptise” its charity calendar for 2025, featuring drawn portraits of Olga Havlová. The drawings are the work of the multi-award-winning painter and illustrator Adéla Marie Jirků. In creating these portraits of Olga and Václav Havel she was inspired by the photographs of Bohdan Holomíček and Ondřej Němec, who will appear at the calendar launch together with the artist. The evening will be hosted by Martin Churavý.
Conference on the Underground
October 16, 2024, 10:00
The Current Situation and Questions Surrounding Czech Underground Research More
Jubilee 25th Big Book Thursday
October 17, 2024, 16:00
We cordially invite you to the 25th anniversary Big Book Thursday, where we will present the cream of the autumn releases from leading Czech publishers. Many of the selected titles lie outside the contemporary mainstream, but they should not be missed by book lovers. More
Questions for Věra Jourová
October 21, 2024, 18:00
How does one of Czechia’s most successful women in high politics relate to the legacy of Václav Havel? How does she perceive her time in the European Commission in retrospect – not only as a politician, but also as a wife, mother and citizen of the Czech Republic? What does she see as the main threats to freedom, privacy and information in the era of artificial intelligence? Milan Babík, director of the Václav Havel Library, will put these questions to Věra Jourová.
Evenings With Reporters: Flicker: From the Edge of Greenland
October 22, 2024, 19:00
What is life like in the northerly most settlements in Greenland? An evening with the Polish reporter Ilona Wiśniewska exploring her latest book and fascination with the north. More
In Conversation With… ‘90s Expats
October 23, 2024, 19:00
Following the fall of communism, Prague gained an image as the “Left Bank of the ‘90s”, drawing floods of young Westerners. But what was that era in Czechoslovakia/Czechia really like for those who lived through it? Were there any downsides to the “Wild East” period, when it sometimes seemed like anything literally went? And what, if anything, did dissident-turned-president Václav Havel contribute to the place’s appeal? Those questions and more will be discussed by travel writer Mark Baker, author of the memoir Time of Changes, well-known singer and actress Tonya Graves, and journalist Ray Furlong of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a former BBC Prague correspondent. Hosted by journalist Ian Willoughby of Radio Prague International.
My Life with Václav and Charter
October 24, 2024, 19:00
The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes and the Vyšehrad publishing house cordially invite you to the presentation of Můj život s Václavem a Chartou (My Life with Václav and Charter), a book length interview with Kamila Bendová conducted by historian Michal Stehlík. More
A Song for Bohemia
October 25, 2024, 19:00
In her memoir Moje píseň pro Čechy (A Song for Bohemia), the US writer and singer Anne Marie Kenny looks back on her remarkable life, but above all her experiences in post-revolutionary Bohemia in the early 1990s. The book, dedicated to Václav Havel and the nation of her forebears, is issued by the Práh publishing house. More
Jan Sandström, David Radok: Description of a Struggle
October 29, 2024, 19:00
Screening of an opera based on motifs from the texts of Franz Kafka held in the centenary of the author’s death More
Launch N: The Contemporary Czech Intelligentsia
October 30, 2024, 19:00
This second volume of pen portraits by writer Pavel Kosatik confirms some encouraging news: Czech society in the 20th and early 21st centuries has produced, and continues to produce, a number of remarkable personalities or – in the words of Jan Patočka – spiritual people. Kosatík writes about them in his characteristic way, i.e., readably, with a feeling for the twists and turns of personal stories, but at the same time concisely and succinctly. The series of 50 texts, which have appeared weekly on the Deník N website and in print, may also be read as an attractive invitation to a deeper study of the lives and work of interesting women and men – beginning with the late sociologist Ivo Možný and ending with the youngest of Kosatík’s selections, the philosopher Tereza Matějčková. We invite you to a debate with the author, where we will “baptise” the book together.
Josef Škvorecký, Václav Havel, Ivan M. Havel: Bashful Friends
October 31, 2024, 19:00
In September the Books and Cards publishing house brought out Ostýchaví přátelé. Dopisy Josefa Škvoreckého a Václava Havla (Bashful Friends: The Letters of Josef Škvorecký and Václav Havel), featuring the correspondence of perhaps the two most significant figures in post-war Czech culture. The book allows readers to follow the preparation of the works by Václav Havel issued by the Škvoreckýs, husband and wife, on their Toronto imprint ’68 Publishers. However, they also reveal Josef Škvorecký’s thoughts on publishing and social and political issues. Havel’s letters, in turn, show the gradual transformation of a polite dissident into a generous but purposeful, and ultimately pivotal, figure in contemporary Czech history. The new publication will be presented by the publisher and director of the Literary Academy, Václav Krištof, and editor Michal Přibáň from the Institute for Czech Literature of the CAS. More