The Last Days of Jan Palach

This unconventional account of the last days of Jan Palach allows the reader to look beneath the surface of the events that began on 16 January 1969, when a living torch of resistance against the occupation and the ruling regime was lit beneath the Prague National Museum.

A key part of the book is the verbatim transcript of the author's conversation with the dying Jan Palach, which revealed not only the rational nature of his act but also the strength of his extraordinary spirit. The recorded conversation is indisputable proof of the true motivation for his act, his mental health, and a testament to his exceptional personality.

The fate of the tape with Jan Palach's interview is also fascinating; its arduous journey is described in the last part of the book.

MUDr. Zdenka Kmuníčková

Born in Brno (1933). She studied at the Faculty of General Medicine, Charles University in Prague and chose the field of psychiatry. She worked for two years at the Psychiatric Hospital in Kosmonosy and from 1968–1991 at the Psychiatric Clinic in Prague. Since 1993, she has had a private practice for mental health issues. After 1989, she studied the Holotropic Breathwork method under Professor Stanislav Grof. With her working group, she organises intensive weekends where she applies this method to groups of interested individuals.