DOUBLETHINK ON THE COMIC STRIP ABOUT ŠIMEČKA
Martin Mocko
Studia Politica Slovaca, 2025, vol. 18, no. 2, p. 82-103
Language: Slovak
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/SPS.2025-2.6
Abstract
The subject of the article is a 2024 popular comic book about the Czecho-Slovak dissident philosopher Milan Šimečka, viewed from a historian‘s perspective. The book uncovers multiple sensitive topics about Milan Šimečka, hitherto unknown to the general public. In particular, his wife Eva‘s opposition to his dissident activities, which were bringing the regime‘s persecution to the entire family. A similar level of blunt truthfulness was not upheld in other topics, though, such as the circumstances of Šimečka‘s older son being allowed to complete university studies by the regime, despite his father being one of the top dissidents in the country. Being closely based on Šimečka‘s own writings, the book paints an unusually down-to-earth portrait of everyday life, featuring the non-ideological cynicism of workers and state officials alike, including even State security officers. This is mostly managed without common stereotypes, such as embellishing the „good” and demonizing the „bad” actors. However, comparison with the few extant State security documents reveals that Šimečka‘s forced relations with State security were in some cases more involved than even he admitted in his own writings, particularly in the early stages of the normalization regime. The book ends rather abruptly and lacks a clear concluding message about who Milan Šimečka was and what he stood for. This shortcoming is supplanted by a collection of Milan Šimečka‘s „unorthodox“ thoughts, highlighting his sometimes shockingly tolerant and non-partisan values, thanks to which his legacy transcends present-day political divisions.
Keywords
Milan Šimečka, Czechoslovakia, communist regime, normalization regime, dissident movement, State Security
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