Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
In memoriam of the playwright and former Czech president, who's died at the age of 75
TV interview from 2008
"If you want to see your plays performed the way you wrote them, become President"
"Even a purely moral act that has no hope of any immediate and visible political effect can gradually and indirectly, over time, gain in political significance"
"The only lost cause is one we give up on before we enter the struggle"
Terrific account of Czechoslovak revolution, and Havel's leadership. "In almost all decisions he was the final arbiter, balancing the different tendencies. Yet a less authoritarian personality than Havel it would be hard to imagine"
"It is hard to think of a better provisional epitaph than that supplied by Martin Palouš: 'Havel was the man who was able to stage this miracle play. The sacrifice was to cast himself in the main role'"
![RIP : Vaclav Havel : 1936 : 2011 by UggBoy♥UggGirl [ PHOTO // WORLD // TRAVEL ]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7020/6534901529_cc15272600_s.jpg "RIP : Vaclav Havel : 1936 : 2011 by UggBoy♥UggGirl [ PHOTO // WORLD // TRAVEL ]")
"He rollerskated through the corridors of Prague castle, exorcising the ghosts of the communist usurpers with his humanity and humour. His addresses to his fellow citizens in 1989 and 1990 make illuminating and moving reading"
"For 40 years you heard from my predecessors variations on the same theme: How our country was flourishing, how much steel we made, how happy we all were. I assume you did not propose me for this office so that I, too, would lie"
Assessment of former political adviser. "Many will ask what made Havel exceptional. The answer is simple: Decency. He was a decent, principled man. He fought communism because it was, in his view, an indecent, immoral system"
The former president of the Czech Republic was the epitome of a dissident because he persisted in his struggle, patiently, non-violently, with dignity and wit
In this short 1997 essay, Havel discusses the interconnection between politics and theatre. Particularly relevant in his case, of course, but he makes interesting broader points too
Excerpts from Havel's 1978 essay. "A specter is haunting Eastern Europe: The specter of what in the West is called dissent. This system can no longer base itself on the unadulterated, brutal, and arbitrary application of power"
"A good politician should be able to explain without seeking to seduce. He should humbly look for the truth of this world without claiming to be its professional owner. He should alert people to the good qualities in themselves"
Despairing reflection on urban sprawl as a product of human wealth and pride. Modern West an "atheistic civilisation". Problem not so much loss of religion, more loss of humility, mystery
Text of Havel's final new year's address as president, in 2003. "The most important thing is that new generations are maturing, generations of people who grew up free and are not deformed by life under communist rule"
