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Tag Archives: Czechoslovakia
Kolya (1996); Dir. Jan Sverák
Cranky confirmed bachelor gets stuck taking care of a little kid. At first the bachelor is harsh and unfriendly to the kid. The kid puts a cramp in his ladies’ man lifestyle. Bachelor just wants to pawn the kid off … Continue reading
Today in history: December 29, 1989
Vaclav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia after 40 years of Soviet Communist rule. Havel, a playwright, spent a ton of time in jail for his political writings, and his philosophy was that, yes, he lived in an un-free society … Continue reading
Libraries of the World: Heart-achey Beauty
This is for my father, and for all library-lovers everywhere. Theology Room at St. Deiniol’s library, North Wales Herzog August Bibliothek, Germany Austrian National Library (the Prunksaal) Strahov Monastery – the 1st library, Prague, Czechoslovakia Another one of Strahov Monastery … Continue reading
Posted in Books
Tagged Austria, bookshelves, Czechoslovakia, England, Germany, Ireland, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Wales
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Happy Birthday, Vaclav Havel
He’s one of my personal heroes, for many reasons. He’s a hero to me as an artist, as well as a politician, and I don’t have too many political heroes. At least not ones who are alive. But him? Yes. … Continue reading
The Books: “The Spirit of Prague” (Ivan Klima)
My history bookshelf. Onward. Next book on the shelf is a collection of essays by Czech writer Ivan Klima – it’s called The Spirit of Prague. Klima has seen it all – he was in Terezin concentration camp as a … Continue reading
Vaclav Havel: “If you want to see your plays performed the way you wrote them, become president.”
Today is the birthday of Vaclav Havel. (Again with the connection to this post below) I first became aware of him in college, when we had to read a couple of his plays. Plays that, naturally, could not be performed … Continue reading
The Czech Republic – Part IV – The Spirit of Prague
Here are some excerpts from Ivan Klima’s wonderful collection of essays “The Spirit of Prague”. Klima’s a great novelist, too. I highly recommend his work. Here he talks about Prague itself, he talks about Havel, about Kafka, about the “velvet … Continue reading
The Czech Republic – Part III – Vaclav Havel’s speech in 1990
Vaclav Havel made a speech on January 1, 1990, immediately following all of the extraordinary changes which had occurred in his country. This speech along with many many others made it into the book I have of “Speeches of the … Continue reading
The Czech Republic – Part II – The 20th Century
The Czech Republic – Part II – The 20th Century Post World War I… World War I ended with the end of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and the Czechs won recognition as a free and independent state. Actually, the Czech people … Continue reading
Posted in Miscellania
Tagged Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hitler, war
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The Czech Republic – Part I – History
Per my dad’s request, here are my “Czech Republic” pieces, hijacked over from my old blog. To all the historian readers I have – please feel free to interject at any time – and let me know if my interpretation … Continue reading
Posted in Miscellania
Tagged Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel, war
Comments Off on The Czech Republic – Part I – History