Invitation to a lecture: Karel Čapek, Democracy and the Human Condition

14. 9. 2026

čas čtení 1 minuta
Karel Čapek, Democracy and the Human Condition (16:00-17:30 CET; Wednesday, 23 September, in-person and online)

We would be delighted if you could join us for the lecture:

Karel Čapek, Democracy and the Human Condition

presented by: Dr Klára Kudlová (Institute of Czech Literature, Prague) and Dr Michelle Woods (State University of New York)

🗓️ Wednesday, 23 September 16:00-17:30
🕒 Adam Smith Building, Room 141AB (and online)
📍Hosted by: Czech Studies; School of Modern Languages and Cultures
🤝Sponsored by: The Government of the Czech Republic and The Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

 
The presentation examines the cultural and political contexts surrounding the British and American reception of Karel Čapek’s R.U.R. (1921) and The Insect Play (1921), written by Karel and Josef Čapek. In Britain and the United States, both innovative plays were received not only as expressions of the latest developments in modern drama, but also as representations of the newly established Czechoslovakia and its culture. Rather than treating their circulation simply as the transfer of dramatic texts, the presentation follows the plays as complex theatrical forms, reshaped through adaptation and scenography. It focuses on their political, ethical and anti-colonial dimensions and asks what they reveal about democracy and the human condition. This will be done through the discussion of findings from several major British and American archives, including the John Rylands Library in Manchester, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Billy Rose Theatre Division of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.


Klára Kudlová (Institute of Czech Literature, Prague) and Michelle Woods (State University of New York, New Paltz) collaborate on the research project "The transition of two Czechoslovak Čapek plays in the US and the UK in the 1920s/1930s: Intercultural Contexts, Contents and Political Impacts," and will present the lecture together.

Please register here: EVENTBRITE REGISTRATION LINK

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Obsah vydání | 14. 9. 2026