On Polish Facebook one internet meme became very popular in recent days. In the background we can see a picture of recent riots, small crying kid is comforted by his mom. „Don’t be afraid, son, they are just patriots”. That’s true, recent events in Warsaw scared many Poles. But when asked by a foreigner what […]
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Two sad movies about happiness
“Return of the idiot” (“Návrat idiota”) and “Something like happiness” (“Štěstí“) are two movies dealing with the interpersonal relations. In both of them the viewer follow a group of Czech people from the small city, who live their ordinary lives and try to find happiness. Although at first sight both movies appear very similar (even the […]
Meanings and representation of popular and rock culture in Hungarian cinema.
Thanks to its relatively close relation with the Western world, Hungary much more than other countries of the Eastern Bloc was under very strong influence of the Western popular culture. It was visible especially at the field of the rock music. In the first part of my essay I will attempt to analyze motives of […]
Čapek and Vančura – is their writing really so different?
„War with the Newts” by Karel Čapek and „Kosmas” by Vladislav Vančura are at the first sight very different works. The first one is a classic Science-Fiction book, written in very modern language and using original narrative modes, while the second one is a tale of old times, told in strongly archaized language. However, both […]
Milan Kundera and the West
Milan Kundera is a writer who sits astride between the West and Eastern Europe. Being born in Brno he spent his first half of life in Czechoslovakia. Since 1975 he has been living in France. His work life can be divided into two parts, demarcating two different periods – before and after immigration. This unique […]
Closely watched trucks
Huge engine of monstrous, 18 wheeled Juggernaut roars while it climbs the bendy mountain road. Inside, a microphone from CB radio hangs over the dashboard. Behind the wheel a hairy trucker in a baseball cap neglectfully bites his toothpick. From time to time glancing at amazing views behind the windscreen and a sexy hitch-hiker on […]
On the fall of communism in Poland
When Lech Wałęsa, shouted “Pomożemya” together with other workers during the meetings with the Party First Secretary Edward Gierek in 1971, he really hoped that the Party would use his help and try to learn from its mistakes. “And what did Gierek do with our help?” he would ask later.1 Mistakes made by the government […]
Lithuania’s challenges in it’s transition from a Soviet Republic to a free European state.
Although the three Baltic States are often treated as they follow the same path, in fact differences between them are very significant. Especially Lithuania deserves some closer look as, unlike the other two, Lithuanians have long history of being recognized as a distinct ethnic group and separate state – first time this nation is mentioned in chronicles in 10091 […]
Looking at bande dessinée through Lacan’s and De Certeau’s eyes
Comics, often underestimated in Anglo-American culture, is certainly not seen as a “low” art in most of Europe. It has significantly strong role in the culture of francophone countries. One of the most known comics character is Tintin – the young reporter of Le Petit Vingtième. Although comics about Tintin are not too sophisticated on […]
Role of Russian settlers communities in the consolidation of Soviet Union and it’s impact upon national identity development
For centuries, Russian settlement expanded the Russian empire. Settlers assimilated nations on the frontiers of the Empire. Huge areas of unpopulated land in Central Asia provided space for everyone to live beside each other, but the influence of Russian modern culture on their neighbours was overwhelmingly strong. Colonisation of Western borderlands was much more difficult […]