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donate Europe talks to Europe: Dilemma '89
Eurozine debate series kicks off in Budapest
Twenty years after 1989, most former communist states in central and eastern Europe are members of the EU; others are waiting in line. But the transition from closed to open societies is far from over. Fierce debates on lustration and information surfacing from previously closed archives show that, today, 1989 represents not only an historic moment of liberation but also a political and social dilemma. What approach to history will prevail?
DILEMMA '89
"My father was a communist"
Speakers:
Martin M. Simecka (Bratislava)
Lázsló Rajk (Budapest)
Chair: Eva Karadi (Magyar Lettre Internationale)
Introduction: Carl Henrik Fredriksson (Eurozine)
Language: English
Time: Tuesday 29 September, 6 p.m.
Place: Collegium Budapest, I. Szentháromság u. 2., Budapest
About the speakers
Martin M. Simecka is a Slovak author and journalist. He was one of the few Slovak writers who published in the "samizdat literature" during communism, as did his father Milan Simecka. Simecka's novel The Year of the Frog has been translated to English and French. In 1990 he founded the independent publishing house Archa. He later became editor-in-chief of Domino-forum, a Slovak weekly. From 1997 to 2006 he acted as editor-in-chief of SME, Slovakia's leading daily newspaper, in 2006 to 2008 as editor-in-chief of Respekt, and from 2009 as editor and contributor.László Rajk is an Hungarian architect and designer. He is the son of László Rajk, the former communist foreign minister and most prominent victim of the Rákosi show trials of 1949. In 1975, László Rajk jr. joined the underground political movement in Hungary and as an architect he was a member of the avantgarde movement. In 1981 he co-founded the independent AB Publishing House and in 1988 he was one of the founders of the liberal party Alliance of Free Democrats. After the first free elections in 1990 he served six years in the Hungarian Parliament.
Europe talks to Europe
A polylogue on culture and politics
From Autumn 2009 to Spring 2011, Eurozine organizes a series of high-profile debates in different central and eastern European cities, including Budapest, Bratislava, Brno, Bucharest, Ljubljana, Sofia, Warsaw and Vienna. Making use of a well-established media platform and a wide-ranging network of editors, authors and intellectuals, the debates will make a substantial contribution to cross-border discussion on cultural identities and the European integration project.The Budapest debate, part of the series "Europe talks to Europe", is a cooperation of Eurozine with the ERSTE Foundation, realised together with Magyar Lettre Internationale and Collegium Budapest.
More information about the debate series Europe talks to Europe.With the financial support of the European Commission and the ERSTE Foundation.
Published 2009-09-21
Original in English
© Eurozine
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