New PDF release: Culture and Customs of the Czech Republic and Slovakia

The Czech Republic is a red-hot ecu vacation spot, and the charms of Slovakia are slowly being came across by way of Westerners in addition. the 2 nations proportion basic similarities in language and tradition, yet they by no means quite controlled to create a typical nationwide Czechoslovak identification, after being merged in 1918 while the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed. With the lifting of the Iron Curtain in 1989 throughout the Velvet Revolution and the ultimate breakup of Czechoslovakia in to 2 nations in 1993, this updated, noticeable perception is far wanted. This quantity overviews the present social, cultural, and political scene of either nations, in order that common readers come away with an exceptional figuring out of the place the Czechs and Slovaks were and the place they're going.

The land, humans, and historical past bankruptcy lays the foundation for the remainder of the narrative. within the bankruptcy on faith and concept, the explanations for the common atheism of the Czechs and the contrasting religiosity of the Slovaks are defined. either peoples are proven to have secure angle towards lifestyles and a love of celebrations, with a robust beer tradition. The kingdom of girls and relatives and feminism within the post-Soviet period can be mentioned and readers will know about the function of romance novels and the Czech Cosmopolitan. The literature bankruptcy emphasizes the Czech humorousness and the shortcoming of translations of Slovakian works. The crises in journalism and cinema are different vital themes. ultimately, the powerful traditions of theater and track, that have consistently been a part of the Czech nationwide realization, are noticeable to be as alive and colourful as in anyplace within the world.