Unesen zpad – CDmp3

This Czech-language audiobook presents two essays by Milan Kundera about the importance and power of culture. The first, titled The Self-Evidence of the Nation, records Kunderas opening speech at the 1967 Writers Congress, in which he warned of the threat to culture and called for a return to European values. He regarded the crossing of national cultures as a defining feature of Czech existence throughout history. The second essay, The Kidnapped West, or The Tragedy of Central Europe, was written in French and first published in 1983 in the magazine Le Dbat. Translated into Czech by Anna Kareninov, it calls for the protection of European spiritual identity and recalls the events of 1956, including the invasion of Hungary by Russian tanks. Kundera sees this as a tragedy of Central Europe and of the West, which was then absorbed in itself. In the interpretation by Radz Mcha, the essays become a powerful and striking message that remains highly relevant.