Here, in Klima's own powerful words, is the motivation behind his writing - the necessity to bear witness to his country's turbulent history. In the title essay of this collection of essays, Klima invokes the spirit of the city that has shaped and sustained him: ironical, cultural, accustomed to adversity but full of hope. A city which has spawned and inspired Milan Kundera, Josef Skvorecky and Pavel Kohut.