Vaclav Havel (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: John Keane
- First Published: 2000
- Type of Work: Biography
- Time of Work: 1936-1999
- Setting: Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic
- Principal Characters: Václav Havel, Alexander Dubček, Olga Havelova, Dagmar Havelova, Václav Klaus
- Genres: Nonfiction, Biography
- Subjects: 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, Twentieth century, Authors or writers, Europe or Europeans, Revolutions, 1940’s, 1930’s, 1980’s, Politicians, 1990’s, Czechoslovakia or Czechoslovakians, Plays or playwrights, Activism
- Locales: Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic
The title betrays the pessimistic tone of the volume. The customary view of Václav Havel is that of an unusual man who could have been very ordinary except that he chose to express ordinary dreams in extraordinary language, suffering imprisonment and risking death for having done so. Keane’s Havel, in contrast, is an unusually flawed individual who could not have functioned normally in ordinary times in any society. His Havel is one who sees absurdity and pointlessness in every situation, who drinks too much, succumbs too easily to women, talks more than he listens, and is close to...
[The entire page is 1894 words long]
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