The “definitive biography” of the poet and political dissident who became the last president of Czechoslovakia—and first president of the Czech Republic (Walter Isaacson). This portrait of Vaclav Havel, iconoclast and intellectual, renowned playwright turned political dissident, president of a united then divided nation, and dedicated human rights activist, is written by his former press secretary, advisor, and longtime friend—and recounts the turbulent twentieth-century era through which he prevailed. Havel’s lifelong perspective as an outsider began with his privileged childhood in Prague and his family’s blacklisted status following the Communist coup of 1948. This feeling of being outcast fueled his career as an essayist and a dramatist writing absurdist plays as social commentary. His involvement during the Prague Spring and his leadership of Charter 77, his unflagging belief in the power of the powerless, and his galvanizing personality catapulted Havel into a pivotal role as the leader of the Velvet Revolution in 1989. Although Havel was a courageous visionary, he was also a man of great contradictions, wracked with doubt and self-criticism. But he always remained true to himself. This “smart and exciting” biography is “both inspiring and filled with lessons for our time” (Walter Isaacson). “Havel was one of the most important intellectual-troublemaking statesmen of his time—a nonconformist, determined to live in truth, who questioned the system, his countrymen and himself constantly. No one is better suited than Michael Zantovsky to describe, interpret, and analyze this moral giant . . . A brilliantly informed intellectual and political history.” —Madeleine Albright “Entertaining, intimate, and moving . . . Zantovsky’s voice—that of a natural storyteller with an eye for the memorable anecdote, a mischievous wit, an easy intelligence, and keen sense of balance and fairness—is so engaging.” —Paul Wilson, The New York Review of Books

Biografie van de voormalige Tsjechische dissident, schrijver en ex-president van Tsjechoslowakije (1936-2011).

Faire la biographie de Vâclav Havel est chose complexe, car il s'agit de tracer le portrait tout à la fois de l'iconoclaste, de l'intellectuel. de l'artiste auteur dramatique, du leader politique, du dernier président de Tchécoslovaquie. du premier président de la République tchèque. Il y a l'enfance heureuse de Havel à Prague, ses origines familiales bourgeoises. ses premières pièces. Puis il y a Havel le dissident qui participe activement au printemps de Prague. celui de la Charte 77, qui passe cinq ans de sa vie dans les geôles communistes au début des années 1980. celui qui conduit dans la paix la Révolution de velours en 1989. Enfin il y a le président. quatorze années durant. Vàclav Havel est l'un des hommes politiques les plus fascinants du dernier siècle. Il a joué un rôle décisif dans l'enterrement d'une des utopies les plus séduisantes, et les plus meurtrières, de tous les temps, et a mis en oeuvre l'une des métamorphoses majeures de l'époque récente. Michael Zantovskÿ, ancien porte-parole de Havel et ami de dissidence depuis la fin des années 1970, fut un témoin privilégié de toutes ces années. L'ouvrage qu'il nous livre ici est tout autant le portrait d'un homme qu'un document historique majeur pour la compréhension d'une époque pas si lointaine qu'il y paraît.

Václav Havel ha segnato il corso del ventesimo secolo: intellettuale e artista diventato dissidente politico, ultimo Presidente della Cecoslovacchia unita e primo della nuova Repubblica Ceca, attivista per i diritti civili. Michael Žantovský, già portavoce di Havel e suo grande amico, ne racconta lo straordinario percorso a partire dalla gioventù a Praga, segnata dal colpo di stato comunista del 1948 che emargina la sua famiglia. Un isolamento che alimenta la sua carriera di saggista e drammaturgo, autore di commedie di feroce critica sociale. Dopo il coinvolgimento nella Primavera di Praga, le sue opere vengono censurate e il suo impegno gli vale cinque anni di carcere. Politico coraggioso e visionario, protagonista in un’epoca di dubbi e contraddizioni, Havel rimane sempre fedele a se stesso come leader del movimento Charta 77 e in seguito della Rivoluzione di Velluto del 1989. Da capo di stato, prosegue la sua missione al servizio della democrazia in un’Europa che cerca la sua identità. Žantovský, testimone in prima persona di una vita straordinaria, costruisce il ritratto inedito di un leader e al tempo stesso il resoconto in presa diretta dei violenti cambiamenti che hanno dato forma al mondo in cui viviamo.