The Vaclav Havel Library Foundation

Portrait of a playwright as an enemy of the state

Havel ArchivesPortrait of a playwright as an enemy of the stateVHLFMay 11, 2021Source: The New York Times / www.nytimes.com / By Samuel G. Freedman / The cottage belongs to Vaclav Havel, the Czechoslovak playwright, and although it sits in the hills near the Polish border it resembles nothing so much as a Manhattanite’s Litchfield County retreat. Mr. Havel built the house himself …Read more...

The explosive reset of Czech–Russian relations

Havel in the MediaThe explosive reset of Czech–Russian relationsVHLFMay 5, 2021Source: Australian Strategic Policy Institute / www.aspistrategist.org.au / By Erik Tabery / The Czech Republic has endured one of its most dramatic fortnights since the Velvet Revolution in 1989, following the government’s announcement that two Russian agents were responsible for explosions at a munitions depot in the Moravian village of …Read more...

Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul awarded 2020 Vaclav Havel prize

NewsSaudi women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul awarded 2020 Vaclav Havel prizeVHLFApril 28, 2021Source: euronews / www.euronews.com / By Euronews / The Council of Europe has awarded its 2020 Václav Havel Human Rights prize to Loujain al-Hathloul. The Saudi activist pushed to end a ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia, but was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to almost six years in …Read more...

HAVEL CONVERSATIONS ON ZOOM: Asli Erdogan in discussion with Elzbieta Matynia

Havel ConversationsHAVEL CONVERSATIONS ON ZOOM: Asli Erdogan in discussion with Elzbieta MatyniaVHLFApril 23, 2021Disturbing the Peace Award recipient, Turkish writer Asli Erdogan will talk about her position of a dissident writer, a woman prisoner of conscience, Havel’s legacy, what hope meant for him and where we should look for it. She will be in discussion with Elzbieta Matynia, Professor of Sociology and Liberal …Read more...

2021 [Virtual] Spring Weekend: Concerning Human Identity

Theater2021 [Virtual] Spring Weekend: Concerning Human IdentityVHLFApril 6, 2021Experience award-winning contemporary plays by Eastern European playwrights addressing current social and political issues in pursuit of truth April 16 – 25, 2021 online on Zoom The Vaclav Havel Library Foundation and Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York and Consulate General of Slovakia …Read more...

A fledgling democracy cannot flourish without a vibrant civil society

Havel in the MediaA fledgling democracy cannot flourish without a vibrant civil societyVHLFApril 1, 2021Source: The Globe and mail / www.theglobeandmail.com / By Jeremy Kinsman / Jeremy Kinsman is a former Canadian ambassador and a distinguished fellow of the Canadian International Council. According to Freedom House, the non-governmental organization co-founded by Eleanor Roosevelt, the world is in a “prolonged democracy recession” – by far …Read more...

Daniela Samsonová is the first winner of the annual contest for the best mini-drama from Janacek Academy in Brno

AwardsDaniela Samsonová is the first winner of the annual contest for the best mini-drama from Janacek Academy in BrnoVHLFFebruary 26, 2021We are proud to announce the first winner of our student contest for the best mini-drama from the Janacek Academy of Music and Performing Arts (JAMU) in Brno. Daniela Samsonová has won with her play Racks [Regály] based on a quote from Vaclav Havel’s play Garden Party: “We all are …Read more...

2021 DISTURBING THE PEACE AWARD TO A COURAGEOUS WRITER AT RISK SOLICITATION OF NOMINATIONS

Awards2021 DISTURBING THE PEACE AWARD TO A COURAGEOUS WRITER AT RISK SOLICITATION OF NOMINATIONSVHLFFebruary 26, 2021The Vaclav Havel Library Foundation is soliciting nominations for the 2020 Disturbing the Peace Award to a Creative Writer at Risk. The annual award recognizes writers of distinguished works of fiction, literary nonfiction, biography, memoire, drama, or poetry who are courageous in dissent and have suffered unjust persecution for their …Read more...

Myanmar: Statement by PEN Myanmar condemning the Tatmadaw’s seizure of the state power against the people’s desires, February 2, 2021

NewsMyanmar: Statement by PEN Myanmar condemning the Tatmadaw’s seizure of the state power against the people’s desires, February 2, 2021VHLFFebruary 5, 20211. It is the fundamental principle of democracy that from the people descends the sovereignty of the state. In line with this principle the multiparty General Election was successfully held in Myanmar on 8 November 2020. With the strong support of the people, the National League for Democracy made a …Read more...

Democracy in Myanmar was flawed but its return is a must

Havel in the MediaDemocracy in Myanmar was flawed but its return is a mustVHLFFebruary 4, 2021Source: Mint / www.livemint.com / By Salil Tripathi / Aung San Suu Kyi had lost global credibility and goodwill but that does not justify a dictatorship What a difference three decades make. In 1988, when Aung San Suu Kyi confronted the generals of the country then known as Burma, she …Read more...

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