The Hot Summer
of 1968
translated by Peter Petro
and
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.
Read an excerpt from The Hot Summer of 1968
More About This Title in the Press
- Review by Sarah Hinlicky Wilson in Slovak Novels in English, June 2021
- “The Season of Our Discontent” by Michael Stein in Transitions, May 2021
- Review by Aimee Jodoin in Foreword Reviews, May 2021