Essay by Václav Bělohradský: This time to the West. How central Europe drifted in the 20th century
03/11/2020
Source: Novinky.cz (CZ) - In the 1983 essay The Abduction of the West or The Tragedy of Central Europe, Milan Kundera reminds Western public opinion of the disaster of the countries of Central Europe, which were "abducted to the East" after 1945, to another civilization. "The disappearance of the cultural home called Central Europe was undoubtedly one of the greatest events of the century for the civilization of the West. (…) Europe did not notice the loss of this cultural home, because Europe no longer understands its unity as cultural unity," Kundera writes, adding that the post-war borders of Europe were drawn by the power of military blocs.