What makes us a resilient society? And how is resilience connected to hope? The discussion will feature philosopher Alice Koubová, author of Odolná společnost: Mezi bezmocí a tyranií (The Resilient Society: Between Powerlessness and Tyranny, 2023), writer and journalist Martin M. Šimečka, who wrote the book Výjimečný stav: Jak dobře žít ve zlých časech (State of Emergency: How to Live Well in Bad Times, 2025), and poet and writer Michal Tallo, author of Všetko je v poriadku, všade je láska (Everything Is Fine, Love Is Everywhere, 2024). The discussion will be hosted by Petr Fischer.

Alice Koubová is one of the most renowned Czech philosophers today. She focuses on the fields of political psychology, ethics, subjectivity, and performative philosophy, often conducting her research in active collaboration with public and cultural institutions in the Czech Republic and abroad (Studio Alta, Alfréd ve dvoře, the National Theatre, and others). She has written more than fifty scientific studies and five monographs. Her most recent book is Odolná společnost: Mezi bezmocí a tyranií (The Resilient Society: Between Powerlessness and Tyranny, 2023), which she co-wrote with Barbora Baronová and which was nominated for the Award for Best Czech Documentary Literature at the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival.

Martin M. Šimečka is a Slovak writer and columnist of Czech origin. He is the son of the philosopher and dissident Milan Šimečka. After the Velvet Revolution, he became one of the leading figures in the Czech-Slovak cultural and public discourse. He founded the publishing house Archa and later served as editor-in-chief the Czech weekly Respekt. Since 2016 he has written for the Slovak daily Denník N. He made his literary debut with the novel The Year of the Frog, for which he won the 1988 Jiří Orten Award as well as the 1994 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for its English translation. His other works include Medzi Slovákmi (Among the Slovaks, 2017) and Telesná výchova (Physical Education, 2020). He has long been a prominent voice drawing attention to the threats facing democracy and independent journalism in Slovakia, and in 2024 he received the František Kriegel Award for civic courage. In his latest book, Výjimečný stav: Jak dobře žít ve zlých časech (State of Emergency: How to Live Well in Bad Times, 2025), he draws on his experience as a dissident and reflects on how to preserve freedom, friendship, and civic responsibility in a society that is turning away from democracy.

Michal Tallo is a Slovak writer and translator. He published three collections of poetry before making his prose debut in 2024 with Všetko je v poriadku, všade je láska (Everything Is Fine, Love Is Everywhere), which won the Tatra Bank Foundation Award for the Arts. Translations of his works have been published in German, Ukrainian, and Czech. He also edited the poetry anthology Junge Lyrik aus der Slowakei (Young Poetry from Slovakia, 2025) for the German publishing house Danube Books. He regularly hosts readings and discussions about contemporary literature or film. From 2023 to 2026 he hosted the radio programme Ars litera on Rádio Devín, and since 2026 he has been producing the podcast Kult knihy (Cult of the Book) together with Anna Siedykh. He has also translated several books by Andrew McMillan and Seán Hewitt into Slovak.