Baptism of Saint Vladimir

The Baptism of Saint Vladimir, the last of three satirical verse pieces written during Havlíček's exile in Brixen, is an immortal classic of Czech literature.
In 1855, one of the greatest Czech journalists and a master of satirical epigrams, he confessed in it the narration of medieval writings about the arrival of Christianity in Russia. He put into it his view of religion and the regime of the Russian autocracy, and hence of absolutist power in general. The Baptism of Saint Vladimir is not as well known among some grammar school students and students of literature as Klár Lávra. At the same time, this third satirical work by Karel Havlíček is very timeless and still relevant in its content: It is the story of the god Perun (Slavic god of thunder). The Tsar wanted Perun to thunder his celebration on his feast day. Perun refused to comply. He was resolute in his opposition to the Tsar's order and used an indiscriminate vocabulary. The Tsar had Perun captured, dragged through the city chained to a horse's tail and drowned. Russia then missed God. and what happened next? The work is written in a very readable, colloquial, sometimes vulgar language. Havlicek here ironizes the power of the state apparatus, which can command even God.
The publishers dedicate this audiobook to the outstanding actor - Master of the Word and teacher of rhetoric, Jan Přeučil, on the occasion of his significant jubilee.