Jan Patocka is now considered to have been one of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century. He was a student of both Husserl and Heidegger. He lived most of his adult life in Communist Czechoslovakia, where he was at times banned from publishing his work and from holding academic positions. Having written his Heretical Essays, Patocka defied the Communist regime as one of the spokespersons associated with Charta 77. He died in 1977, following two months of police interrogation.