The 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,

“Most people in the West have never heard of Václav Benda. That is about to change. Benda, a believing Catholic among Vaclav Havel's dissident circle, offers a distinctly Christian humanist vision for how to live faithfully, responsibly, and communally in a time of dispossession, oppression, and powerlessness. The West is now waking up to the shocking fact that we have more in common than we thought with those who endured the yoke of Marxist materialism. How do we then live? This book of Benda's essays could not possibly have come to us at a more crucial moment.”
 – Rod Dreher, author, The Benedict Option.


 

“Václav Benda was one of the unsung heroes of the Revolution of 1989, a bear of a man who combined intellectual distinction with deep Catholic piety and personal charm. This collection of his essays should help acquaint the generation that knew not Joseph (Stalin) with what was really at stake in the Cold War, and how the victory over communism was won by those who, like Benda, chose to live in the truth, regardless of the cost.
– George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow and William E. Simon Chair
in Catholic Studies Ethics and Public Policy Center


 

Table of Contents
 
Acknowledgments
Editor’s Introduction
 
Part I: Reflections
 

1. A Small Lesson in Democracy
2. From My Personnel File
3. They Did Not Pass!
4. Why Hesitate Over a Final Solution?           
5. One Year After Orwell
6. Concerning Politically Motivated Repressions
7. The Church Militant
8. Three Important Memoranda from the Czech Primate
9. A Call from Bratislava
10. The People’s Party: Problems and Hopes

 
Part II: Essays and Inquiries
 

1. The Parallel Polis
2. Catholicism and Politics:

The Situation Today, its Roots and Future Possibilities

1. Comments on Some Frequently Heard Comments
2. The Ethics of Polemics and The Necessary Measure of Tolerance
3. A Letter to Roger Scruton
4. Not Only Moral Problems
5. Back to Christianity and Politics: How to Continue after Velehrad?          
6. Concerning Responsibility in Politics and for Politics
7. The Meaning, Context and Legacy of the Parallel Polis
8. The Family and the Totalitarian State          
9. Prospects for Political Development in Czechoslovakia

and the Potential Role of Charter 77

1. The Spiritual Renewal of the Nation: A Way Out of the Crisis?
2. Inherent Risk   

Part III: Reports and Defenses
 

1. The Prosecution of Two Roman Catholic Clergymen in Slovakia
2. Poland and Us
3. Information on the Activity of Charter 77 Spokespersons and Forthcoming Materials
4. I Do Not Share Your Conviction…
5. I Turn to You with an Urgent Appeal           
6. Notification of Criminal Activity
7. A Besieged Culture
8. Concerning the Imprisonment of Juveniles
9. A Critique of “The Idea of a Christian state”           
10. The Unlawful Practices of State Security
11. A Pilgrimage to the Blessed Agnes of Bohemia
12. The Prague Demonstration of August 21, 1988       
13. Do Not Create a False Image of Us

Notes on the Individual Texts           
 
Index