Well-known American writer and journalist Rod Dreher has fallen in love with middle Europe. For two years he has been staying at the Danube Institute in Budapest as a visiting researcher. During this time, he delightedly visits Slovakia and surrounding countries. His works aim at the interactions among religion, culture, and politics. In his book “Do not live by lies”, he analyses the phenomena, which he calls “soft totalitarianism”. He sees the solution in the stories of Christian anti-communist dissidents from middle European countries. He especially focuses on the story of the Slovakian underground church and its members Kolakovič, Krčméry, Jukl, or Mikloško. In the examples from Slovakia, Czech Republic Poland, and Hungary the hope for Western civilization. He will discuss his fascination and inspiration which he imbibes from middle Europe.
Rod Dreher is an author and journalist whose best-selling books have been translated into 12 languages. He is a leading commentator on the relationship between Christianity and public life. He is a senior editor at The American Conservative, where he writes a popular blog about religion, culture, and politics, and he publishes often in other journals. In 2017, his best-selling book "The Benedict Option" was described by The New York Times as "the most important religious book of the decade." In 2019, his book "Live Not By Lies," a warning about what he regards as the coming soft totalitarianism, became another bestseller in the United States. He dedicated the book to the memory of Father Tomislav Kolakovic, the founder of the Slovak underground church. He is an Orthodox Christian who lives with his wife and children in Louisiana.
Samuel Trizuljak studied political science and history at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Heidelberg. His interest in the history of Catholic thought is further developed as a PhD student at Charles University in Prague. As a lecturer he cooperates with the Ladislav Hanus Society and the Anton Neuwirth College. As a speechwriter, he has worked for several politicians, most recently for the Minister of Defence Jaroslav Naď. His book At Height to Depth: 33 Advice to Faithful Students in Bratislava, Oxford or elsewhere was published in September 2021.
