Open Letters: Selected Writings, 1965-1990
- Book Review,
by Vaclav Havel
From Publishers Weekly
A stirring collection of political essays, letters, speeches, autobiographical sketches, interviews and musings, mostly from the years that Havel, now Czechoslovakia's president, spent as his nation's leading dissident. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This selection of Havel's 25 best essays written since 1965 is a fascinating chronicle of the development and ideas of the greatly admired Czechoslovakian dissident turned president. Whether he muses on Gorbachev, his harassment by the police, or the ever-present danger of injustices being committed in service of noble words, Havel writes with clarity, wit, eloquence, a steadfast optimism, and remarkable courage. Although some of the pieces were already published in Vaclav Havel, or Living in Truth ( LJ 8/87), such as the influential essays on the nature of totalitarianism ("Power of the Powerless") and on the global crises of human responsibility ("Politics and Conscience"), this is an important book that belongs in both academic and public libraries.- Marie Bednar, Pennsylvania State Univ. Libs., University ParkCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
An inspiring collection of essays, interviews, and letters, several of which have never been published in English, from the erudite, uncompromising Havel, taking the full measure of his humanism and democratic spirit. Ever the voice of reason and gentle, wry persuasion, Havel appears in these writings in a variety of guises: as a participant in the liberating Prague Spring of 1968, calling for a democratic opposition party in Czechoslovakia; as a thorn in the side of the subsequent repressive government, detailing its perfidious practices as proof of the need for organized dissent; as a silenced prisoner, first under house arrest and in the early 80's incarcerated as a subversive; and finally as the president of Czechoslovakia, still challenging his fellow citizens to throw off their reticence and work together to build a truly democratic state. Matters philosophical and practical, linguistic and sociological combine time and again in these statements over the decades, until a living synthesis emerges--a moral and political philosophy born of principled resistance to oppression and an abiding faith in the oppressed. The many short critiques and longer, more theoretical essays (``The Power of the Powerless,'' ``Anatomy of a Reticence'') can easily be viewed as calls to action on a wide front; and by calmly and objectively taking stock in each instance, undermining the Party line with ready humor and logic, Havel wields the pen mightily to prove how richly his reputation is deserved. A fitting tribute to a cultural and political hero, and a valuable resource for anyone seeking reassurance that the principles of democracy are still cherished in our time. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
"Brilliant and perceptive analyses...of the abuse of power by bureaucracies driven by cynical self-interest." -- Boston Globe
"An inspiring collection...a fitting tribute to a cultural and political hero, and a valuable resource for anyone seeking reassurance that the principles of democracy are still cherished in our time." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Havel's essays...show a complex political and moral sensibility. [Writing] with wonderful clarity and directness, he has a rare gift for metaphor and example. He can capture, with a phrase or a word, the dishonesty of an era."
-- Times Literary Supplement
Review
"Brilliant and perceptive analyses...of the abuse of power by bureaucracies driven by cynical self-interest." -- Boston Globe
"An inspiring collection...a fitting tribute to a cultural and political hero, and a valuable resource for anyone seeking reassurance that the principles of democracy are still cherished in our time." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Havel's essays...show a complex political and moral sensibility. [Writing] with wonderful clarity and directness, he has a rare gift for metaphor and example. He can capture, with a phrase or a word, the dishonesty of an era."
-- Times Literary Supplement
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Czech
From the Inside Flap
Spanning twenty-five years, this historic collection of writings shows Vaclav Havel's evolution from a modestly known playwright who had the courage to advise and criticize Czechoslovakia's leaders to a newly elected president whose first address to his fellow citizens begins, "I assume you did not propose me for this office so that I, too, would lie to you." Some of the pieces in Open Letters, such as "Dear Dr. Husak" and the essay "The Power of the Powerless," are by now almost legendary for their influence on a generation of Eastern European dissidents; others, such as some of Havel's prison correspondence and his private letter to Alexander Dubcek, appear in English for the first time. All of them bear the unmistakable imprint of Havel's intellectual rigor, moral conviction, and unassuming eloquence, while standing as important additions to the world's literature of conscience.
From the Back Cover
"Brilliant and perceptive analyses...of the abuse of power by bureaucracies driven by cynical self-interest." -- Boston Globe"An inspiring collection...a fitting tribute to a cultural and political hero, and a valuable resource for anyone seeking reassurance that the principles of democracy are still cherished in our time." -- Kirkus Reviews"Havel's essays...show a complex political and moral sensibility. [Writing] with wonderful clarity and directness, he has a rare gift for metaphor and example. He can capture, with a phrase or a word, the dishonesty of an era."-- Times Literary Supplement
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