Events: May 2015
April 2015
June 2015
Zdena Erteltová Philipsová and Petition Editions
May 4, 2015, 19:00
Petition Editions (Edice Petice in Czech), which was established by Ludvík Vaculík in 1972, was one of the most important samizdat series. More
Ondřej Němec: Václav Havel the Transformations of Czech Society in Photography III
May 5, 2015, 19:00
A series presenting the work of documentary photographers whose work captured Václav Havel over many years. The third evening belongs to Ondřej Němec, who has primarily focused on photographs of Václav Havel, his interaction with the underground in the 1970s, the relatively informal early period of his presidency and the final years of his life. More
The Underground Phenomenon: Ivan Černega, Karel “Kocour” Havelka and Miroslav “Skalák” Skalický
May 6, 2015, 10:00
A series of lectures on the Czech underground as a social, political and historical phenomenon organised by the Historical Sociology department at Charles University’s Faculty of Humanities and the Václav Havel Library and headed by sociologist Nicolas Maslowski.
The Cost of Revolution
May 6, 2015, 19:00
What has the Maidan given and taken from Ukraine… A meeting with the Ukrainian journalist, translator and literary critic Oleksandr Boychenko. The discussion will be chaired by Ukrainian Studies expert Lenka Víchová. Interpretation provided.
Petr Borkovec: This Day Too Will Be Part of the Story
May 7, 2015, 19:00
Reading by the author from his as yet unpublished short story collection Lido di Dante and an expanded edition of his collection Milostné básně (Love Poems). More
Exhibition of photographs by Ondřej Němec: The Underground
May 9, 2015, 14:00
Organised by the Dačice Municipal Authority in cooperation with the Václav Havel Library. Followed at 15.00 by a presentation in the 3D cinema of a comic book about Magor and the screening of footage from the Festival of the Second Culture at Hrádeček.
Cabinet Havel: Our Leaders’ Visions
May 11, 2015, 17:00
A vision of the future, an emphasis on spiritual values in leading society and the placing of long-term gains ahead of immediate ones were themes that ran throughout the life and work of Václav Havel. More
The unknown Snow White!
May 12, 2015, 19:00
Reading by poet Viki Shock, who following last year’s “lightly funereal love story” Zahradníkův rok na hřbitově (Zahradník’s Year in the Cemetery) presents a new book of crazy short stories, Sněhurka, jakou svět neviděl! (The unknown Snow White!), a psychopathological-analytical variation on the classic short story in the guise of a Freak Show. One-man-band Ruce naší Dory will provide accompaniment on acoustic guitar.
Seven Years in the Gulag
May 13, 2015, 19:00
Launch of František Polák’s book Sedm let v Gulagu. Vzpomínky pražského advokáta na sovětské pracovní tábory (Seven Years in the Gulag: A Prague Lawyer’s Memoir of Soviet Labour Camps) (Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, 2015). More
Chálid Biltagi: Havel and Egypt
May 14, 2015, 14:00
A meeting with Egyptian Czech Studies expert Chalid Biltagi, author of an Arabic translation of The Power of the Powerless (2012). The discussion will take in Václav Havel and Czech literature, but also the (in)comprehensibility of European thinking for the Arab world. Chaired by Lucie Němečková.
Václav Havel, You’re Really Annoying Us
May 14, 2015, 15:00
An overview of the Václav Havel Library’s latest book releases. More
Budapest + Prague + Warsaw = Bratislava
May 18, 2015, 19:00
A meeting of Czechoslovak, Hungarian and Polish leaders in Bratislava on 9.4.1990, which was also attended by representatives of Italy, Yugoslavia and Austria, centred on cooperation and the coordination of the foreign policies of the post-communist states with regard to integration into Western European structures. More
Charismatic leader or authoritarian populist?
May 19, 2015, 16:45
Panel discussion is part of the conference "The Current Populism in Europe: A Threat to Liberal Democracy?" which is organized by the Faculty of Social Sciences, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Goethe Institut and Václav Havel Library. More
The Evolution of Ethics
May 20, 2015, 19:00
An evening with Marek Orko Vácha. The first part of the lecture will focus on the world of nature, “good deeds” within it and how to explain them, and bee-eaters, turkeys and vampires. The second part will be concerned with mankind and the question of why being kind to others is a good idea and whether it is possible.
Debate with Respekt: Should we Fear the State Attorney’s Office?
May 21, 2015, 19:00
Have state attorneys been liberated and begun to investigate corruption in the highest echelons of power? Or are they criminalising politics without justification? Chaired by Respek journalist Ondřej Kundra. Lenka Bradáčová, Josef Baxa, Ivo Ištván and Jindřich Šídlo are confirmed guests.
Josef Michl: Society and Science in the USA
May 27, 2015, 18:00
Professor Josef Michl (University of Colorado, Boulder) is a world-renowned chemist who works with dozens of academic institutions around the world. His lecture will focus on science teaching from elementary school to university, as well as the funding of science and government scientific institutions. In cooperation with the festival American Spring.
Prague Odyssey – The Future of the City as a Common Mission III
May 28, 2015, 19:00
A discussion series on the future of Prague as a successful, safe, healthy and competitive 21st century city. In cooperation with the Prague Institute of Planning and Development.
Prague 2015
29/05/15 – 30/05/15 Conferences
Václav Havel European Dialogues 2nd Prague Conference, 29–30 May 2015 Time for Europeans Politics Organizer: Václav Havel Library in cooperation with European Commission Representation in the Czech Republic Partners: Forum 2000 Foundation, DOX Centre for Contemporary Art Venue: DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Poupětova 1, Prague Programme Streaming