Slovak Literature in English Translation

front cover of Viliam Klimacek – The Hot Summer of 1968

The Hot Summer

of 1968

by Viliam Klimáček

translated by Peter Petro

Mandel Vilar Press, Simsbury CT

and

Dryad Press, Takoma Park, MD

June 1, 2021

312 pages, paperback

ISBN 978-1-942134-71-8

In 1968, the Czechoslovak Communist Party introduced “socialism with a human face.” During this time, known as Prague Spring, citizens of Czechoslovakia suddenly enjoyed new freedoms, among them uncensored press, an end to arbitrary wiretaps, and the right to travel without prior authorization. The Soviet Union rejected these reforms, however, and sent half a million Warsaw Pact troops and tanks to occupy the country. Every citizen was faced with the choice to leave or to stay. In celebrating the identity of a people, its folklore, its beauty, and its vitality, Viliam Klimáček tells the story of ten people enmeshed in this difficult moment in history and reveals the dramatic impact of these events on his characters and the lives of their families.

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