Exhibition on contemporary Czech literature highlights bilateral friendship

Taipei, Dec. 13 (CNA) A new exhibition at the National Museum of Taiwan Literature features contemporary Czech underground literature, the publication of which during a unique time of strife in that country highlights the similarities between Taiwan and the Czech Republic.

"Typeset Hopes and Dreams: Exhibition on Contemporary Czech Literature" spotlights Czech literature and publication tools adopted by underground writers during the period after the "Prague Spring" movement.

The Prague Spring was a democratization reform initiated in the then Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in 1968 that was snuffed out after seven months when the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact members invaded the country, ensuring it remained a Soviet satellite until 1989.

During the two decades of authoritarian rule following the failure of the movement, educated individuals such as writers were subjected to the watchful eye of the Soviet regime, with works of literature often banned and confiscated.

As a result, those with ideas of freedom had to operate underground and circulate their writings in secret.

The exhibition in Tainan showcases items such as the typewriters used by underground writers the likes of Bohumil Hrabal and the manuscripts of writers like Milan Kundera.

Selected works by writers like Kundera are also on display at the show in the form of audio books.

At the opening of the show on Dec. 6, the representative of the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei David Steinke addressed the event, stating that he hopes the show enables the people of Taiwan to draw parallels between the history of Taiwan and Czechia.

Steinke also said he hopes the show will accentuate the similarities between the energy and passion of people from both countries found between the lines of their respective literature.

The opening ceremony was also attended by the Czech Republic's Moravian Library director Tomáš Kubíček, who said that literature has the power to transcend boundaries between nations.

Kubíček said from reading Taiwanese literature, he realized that Czechia and Taiwan share similarities between how both nations fought for freedom and survival, adding that he hopes to see more bilateral cooperation in the field of liberal arts.

A special attendee at the ceremony was 93-year-old Czech writer Ivan Klíma, who appeared through a recorded message to encourage exhibition goers to get inspired to read more Czech literature.

As a writer monitored by the government following the Prague Spring, Klíma was a subject of interest for the secret police and the files they kept on Klíma are one of the exhibits at the show.

The exhibition will run until March 2, 2025, when visitors can attend talks with Czech writers as well as other kinds of events such as puppet shows to encourage people to explore the world of contemporary Czech literature.