Long Night of the Watchman – Essays by Vaclav Benda, 1977–1989

“Among those who maintained the spirit of the Czech and Slovak people in the last decades of communist oppression, none was more obstinate in his convictions, or more resolute in his conduct, than Václav Benda. He did not court publicity, was hardly known in the West, and had no glamorous ‘dissident’ profile. But he was a deep and serious thinker, a humble Christian in his private life who also carved out a role for himself as an inspiring teacher of the young. This fascinating collection of his essays sheds a unique light on the Charter 77 movement which, by refusing to accept dictatorship and upholding the rule of law, sounded the death-knell for the Czechoslovak Communist Party.”– Sir Roger Scruton, author of innumerable works, including, from St. Augustine’s Press:  The Meaning of Conservatism, An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Modern Culture, On Hunting, Art and Imagination, Aesthetic Understanding, Politics of Culture and Other Essays,

• Table of Contents  AcknowledgmentsEditor’s Introduction  Part I: Reflections  A Small Lesson in DemocracyFrom My Personnel FileThey Did Not Pass!Why Hesitate Over a Final Solution?           One Year After OrwellConcerning Politically Motivated RepressionsThe Church MilitantThree Important Memoranda from the Czech PrimateA Call from BratislavaThe People’s Party: Problems and Hopes Part II: Essays and Inquiries  The Parallel PolisCatholicism and Politics:The Situation Today, its Roots and Future PossibilitiesComments on Some Frequently Heard CommentsThe Ethics of Polemics and The Necessary Measure of ToleranceA Letter to Roger ScrutonNot Only Moral ProblemsBack to Christianity and Politics: How to Continue after Velehrad?          Concerning Responsibility in Politics and for PoliticsThe Meaning, Context and Legacy of the Parallel PolisThe Family and the Totalitarian State          Prospects for Political Development in Czechoslovakiaand the Potential Role of Charter 77The Spiritual Renewal of the Nation: A Way Out of the Crisis?Inherent Risk   Part III: Reports and Defenses  The Prosecution of Two Roman Catholic Clergymen in SlovakiaPoland and UsInformation on the Activity of Charter 77 Spokespersons and Forthcoming MaterialsI Do Not Share Your Conviction…I Turn to You with an Urgent Appeal           Notification of Criminal ActivityA Besieged CultureConcerning the Imprisonment of JuvenilesA Critique of “The Idea of a Christian state”           The Unlawful Practices of State SecurityA Pilgrimage to the Blessed Agnes of BohemiaThe Prague Demonstration of August 21, 1988       Do Not Create a False Image of UsNotes on the Individual Texts             Index