Jan Nemec – författare

Written in the first four months of the war in Ukraine, fueled by anger towards mindless violence, Nemec’s stories tackle the present moment and confront what really matters at times of abundant destruction.A Czech man in Ukraine in search of his alter ego. A gang of homeless kids driven from a cellar by tenants using it as a shelter from the war. A German couple who ‘rented a womb’ in Ukraine, whose child is now stuck in Kyiv. A teenager partnered with a Valkyrie for the distribution of lavash in besieged Mariupol delays his flight until it is too late. A Russian academic mounting a protest in the center of Moscow dressed in a costume from Swan Lake. They may not be soldiers at the front, but for the characters in these stories, life will never again be as it was before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this collection of short stories—two set in Ukraine, two in the West, and one in Russia—Czech author Jan Nemec has produced a work of remarkable immediacy.

A unique blend of fiction and biography that explores the fascinating life of early-twentieth-century Czech photographer František Drtikol.Have you ever wondered what a story written by a beam of light would be like? The story would be ordinary, but the course of events extraordinary.  Its hero would be a photographer, a guardian of light. And, naturally, the tale would be full of shadow.  A History of Light delves into the fascinating life of František Drtikol (1883–1961), an important figure in early-twentieth-century photography who is all but forgotten in contemporary times. A dandy from a small mining town, a world-famous photographer whose business went bankrupt, a master of the nude who never had much luck with women, a mystic and a Buddhist who believed in communism—a man whose numerous contradictions were evident externally and synthesized internally.A unique blend of fiction and biography, this novel vividly portrays Drtikol’s life, tracing the diverse stages of his career and offering detailed, almost encyclopedic insights into the times and places pivotal to his journey. Acclaimed Czech author Jan Němec narrates the story in the uncommon second-person singular, speaking directly to his subject. Fresco-like, this novel is an artistic and spiritual Bildungsroman that covers over half a century, bringing to life the silver mines of Príbram, Jugendstil Munich, and the Bohemianism of the First Czechoslovak Republic. Drtikol’s role as a photographer is set against the turbulent history of Central Europe through the two World Wars, and the events of those five decades form a riveting backdrop for an exploration of the artist’s work.

This open access book deals with the backsliding of the rule of law in Poland and Hungary as one of the main problems of the EU. What began as a national phenomenon has become a general threat for the EU because the respect for the rule of law is a prerequisite for all other values of the EU enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. Media coverage and scholarly publications on these developments mainly focus on backsliding governments and judicial decisions concerning the issue. This book aims to inform the debate by adding another perspective and providing a broader view. Drawing on a comprehensive collection of parliamentary debates, we explore how MPs in Poland, Hungary, but also the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania referred to the rule of law from 1990 to 2021 and how their narratives differed across parties, countries and time.

This open access book deals with the backsliding of the rule of law in Poland and Hungary as one of the main problems of the EU. What began as a national phenomenon has become a general threat for the EU because the respect for the rule of law is a prerequisite for all other values of the EU enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. Media coverage and scholarly publications on these developments mainly focus on backsliding governments and judicial decisions concerning the issue. This book aims to inform the debate by adding another perspective and providing a broader view. Drawing on a comprehensive collection of parliamentary debates, we explore how MPs in Poland, Hungary, but also the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania referred to the rule of law from 1990 to 2021 and how their narratives differed across parties, countries and time.

Die aktuellen Konflikte um die Demokratie sind auch Konflikte um Rechtsstaatlichkeit, denn es geht oft darum, ob Mehrheiten „durchregieren“ können oder durch die Verfassung, Gerichte und andere Instanzen eingehegt werden. In Ostmitteleuropa, wo Demokratie und Rechtsstaatlichkeit im Zuge der Ablösung vom Sozialismus etabliert wurden, traten solche Probleme seither in unterschiedlicher Weise und Intensität auf – bereits vor dem Abbau rechtsstaatlicher Strukturen durch Fidesz-KDNP in Ungarn (ab 2010) und die PiS in Polen (ab 2015). Dieses Buch arbeitet die verschiedenen Pfade und Konflikte der Rechtsstaatlichkeitsentwicklung in fünf Ländern (Polen, Ungarn, Tschechien, Slowakei, Rumänien) seit 1989/90 heraus. Es verdeutlicht, dass in Bezug auf die Rechtsstaatlichkeitsentwicklung nicht von einer homogenen Region zu sprechen ist, auch wenn bestimmte Themen in verschiedenen Staaten politisch umkämpft sind. Das Buch stützt sich auf wissenschaftliche Literatur, weitere Quellen sowie auf Befunde eigener Primärforschung zu Debatten in den Parlamenten.

Die aktuellen Konflikte um die Demokratie sind auch Konflikte um Rechtsstaatlichkeit, denn es geht oft darum, ob Mehrheiten „durchregieren“ können oder durch die Verfassung, Gerichte und andere Instanzen eingehegt werden. In Ostmitteleuropa, wo Demokratie und Rechtsstaatlichkeit im Zuge der Ablösung vom Sozialismus etabliert wurden, traten solche Probleme seither in unterschiedlicher Weise und Intensität auf – bereits vor dem Abbau rechtsstaatlicher Strukturen durch Fidesz-KDNP in Ungarn (ab 2010) und die PiS in Polen (ab 2015). Dieses Buch arbeitet die verschiedenen Pfade und Konflikte der Rechtsstaatlichkeitsentwicklung in fünf Ländern (Polen, Ungarn, Tschechien, Slowakei, Rumänien) seit 1989/90 heraus. Es verdeutlicht, dass in Bezug auf die Rechtsstaatlichkeitsentwicklung nicht von einer homogenen Region zu sprechen ist, auch wenn bestimmte Themen in verschiedenen Staaten politisch umkämpft sind. Das Buch stützt sich auf wissenschaftliche Literatur, weitere Quellen sowie auf Befunde eigener Primärforschung zu Debatten in den Parlamenten.