The City of Truth

My research up until now on the development of Václav Havel from playwright to politician to historical figure has brought me to many sources written by and about the man himself. In the authorized biography, by a personal friend Eda Kriseová, the author addressed the criticism which alleged that she had written a moralistic fairy tale. She claims to be “glad that [she is] guilty of writing fairy tales” in her preface. My cursory examination of her book from 1993, and the commentary about it, indicates that there is a fair amount of legacy cultivation in its pages. As such, I have chosen to begin the 1999 biography by John Keane before that of Kriseová, in order to get a more detached treatment of Havel before the official version.

The challenge which I feel is before me stems mostly from the volume I hope to tackle in order to present a credible argument about why Havel was the hero of 1989 who ascended to the Presidency instead of somebody like Petr Miller, who Timothy Garton Ash (p.106) characterized as a potential “Czech Wałęsa.” Havel publicly expressed his desire to remain a writer rather than a political leader (Garton Ash, p.103), and yet takes a “Havel for President” button (Garton Ash, p.118) which has appeared mysteriously out of nowhere (Hungary). Thus far my reading seems to support the argument that Havel was not the reluctant politician he claimed to be, but to me it is not yet clear why entirely this was the case. Much of his legacy seems to rest on the accepted truth of his pristine record of promoting democracy (and anti-communism) as an ideal figure, unblemished by crass ambition and political machinations. Being separated twenty-five years from his greatest triumph, I want to understand why and how his legacy has been crafted and interpreted by his fellow Czechs, the Slovaks, and his western devotees who made him a celebrity in the first place, and make monuments to him from Malta to Washington, DC.

In addition to these biographies, I hope to get a sense of his own work – before politics from some of the Vaněk plays, The Garden Party, and Largo Desolato, as well as his own characterization of his record in To the Castle and Back, and from his public speeches in The Art of the Impossible. There are also a dozens of interviews with Havel, and articles about him that are on my list. I would appreciate any input regarding the order in which I might attack this abundance of material.

Garton Ash, Timothy. The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of  ’89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague. New York: Vintage Books, 1999.