Josef Škvorecký, Václav Havel, Ivan M. Havel: Bashful Friends

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.