The Struggle and the Triumph: An Autobiography [Paperback]

Lech Walesa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 19, 1994

This extensive autobiography offers a lively and richly detailed account of Walesa's rise from the Gdansk shipyard to the first freely elected president of Poland, and of the events that ushered Poland into a new age. A New York Times Notable Book for 1992. Photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this speechifying autobiography, Poland's president delivers a dramatic and self-dramatizing account of the rise of the Solidarity movement, his role in the labor strikes of 1988, his battle with the Polish Communist party and his election to the presidency. Interspersing transcripts, Walesa presents a witty, Kafkaesque replay of government wiretapping and judicial harassment of him through 1986, and vividly re-creates the news-making kidnap and murder of the Rev. Jerzy Popieluszko in 1984. He credits Solidarity's survival as due in large measure to the moral support of the Roman Catholic Church. In down-to-earth prose, the former electrician writes about his father's internment in a Nazi concentration camp, his own religious faith, and the joys of family life and of raising eight children. But in denying the existence of "racially based" anti-Semitism in Poland, past or present, he ignores history. Glaringly short on specifics about his plans for Poland's future, his self-portrait is padded with accounts of a blur of meetings, talks and travel, as well as encounters with Elie Wiesel, George Bush, Elton John, Pope John Paul II and Francois Mitterrand, among others. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Walesa, leader of Poland's Solidarity labor movement, here continues his autobiography from 1983 to his election to the Polish presidency in 1990. As in the previous work, A Way of Hope ( LJ 1/88. o.p.), Walesa does not provide a context to understand events but instead presents his philosophy and major life influences. From his power base in Solidarity, Walesa portrays his maturing role as a national and international leader and his commitment to nonviolence to achieve political and economic reform. Walesa characterizes Poland's struggle as the precursor of reform in other Eastern European nations in the wake of Soviet change. This autobiography belongs in most collections.
- Rena Fowler, Northern Michigan Univ. Lib., Marquette
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 330 pages
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing (January 19, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559702214
• ISBN-13: 978-1559702218
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,036,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great autobiography!!, July 27, 2003

By 

Norman B. Schneigert (Carbondale, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Struggle and the Triumph: An Autobiography (Paperback)

Lech Walesa's autobiography is exceptional. It was great reading about a brave man who did not use violence to turn the tides not also in Poland, but he also was a very important figure in world peace and he was one of the reasons why the cold war ended. The book had a lot of humor which kept me wanting to read more. A must.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TRULY, ONE OF THE GREATEST HEROES OF 20TH CENTURY, August 7, 2007

By 

Academic - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Struggle and the Triumph: An Autobiography (Paperback)

Everyone should read this book. I like that Walesa has a great sense of humor. His humor seems to say that he is not affected by his super-heroesque accomplishment and is a very warm and approachable person. Walesa, started the downfall of communisn with the Solidarity movement in Poland. Pope John Paul II got on board to support, adding incredible drive and inspiration. These two Polish men changed History forever and for the better. Many countries going through or about to, have asked Lech Walesa for advice,i.e., Cuba for starters. This book makes you want to go out there and make the world better. Highly motivational; Great read!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Voice That Changed the World, April 13, 2008

By 

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: The Struggle and the Triumph: An Autobiography (Paperback)

Lech Walesa literally reset the world on its axis. In a stroke of irony, Poland was the first country to break the 1955 Warsaw Pact.

Lech Walesa impresses me as a good man and, like President Carter is truly a humble peacemaker. A shipyard worker, Walesa strove to form unions on the docks; in the mills and in the factories. Unlike Imre Nagy, another good man and a Freedom Fighter who was killed in Hungary in 1954, Walesa took baby steps to effect change. Whereas Nagy took the "remove Russian occupation from Hungary at all costs and install democracy" in one fell swoop, Walesa took a more circumspect and prudent approach. Instead of trying to remove all obstacles at one time, he tried to institute changes in the workplaces. Once dock workers and factory and mill workers had unions, the voting process could be moved into elected offices.

Poland was, up until 1989 under communist regime. It has an interesting history. During WWI, Poland, then a landlocked territory was granted part of eastern Germany. The former German city Danzig is now Poland's Gdansk and the portion of Germany that has been annexed to Poland has not only increased the size of the country, but provided Poland access to the ocean. For many years Poland was recognized as a territory and not a nation.

Lech Walesa's father, the late Bronislaw Walesa vowed in 1945 that there would come a day when he would see a free Poland where Polish citizens would have the option to vote for the candiates they wanted to see in office and not go through the formality of seeing the same people installed in the same positions of power. Sadly, Bronislaw Walesa never lived to see that happen. His son Lech Walesa was the person who was largely responsible for effecting change. Lech Walesa's 4 sons and 4 daughters will live that dream by voting as free Polish citizens.

The Beatles' 1968 classic "Revolution" can clearly be the soundtrack of this wonderful book. "We all want to change the world" - so true in this case!

Walesa is a realistic, humble and practical man with a delightful wit. Throughout his successes and setbacks, he has kept his humor and realistic outlook. In 1980, Walesa and a band of Polish freedom fighers got together to form the Solidarity Party. Using computers smuggled into Poland from England, Germany and the U.S., the Solidarity supporters held secret meetings in churches and people's homes. They made concerted efforts to gain support for effecting political changes in Poland and their movement picked up speed. Sadly, Walesa was jailed for one year during the 1980s. Still, his voice was heard and his word spead. Pope John Paul II threw his voice, prayers and support behind Walesa and backed him all the way. By 1987, Walesa's voice was ringing clear and strong around the world and people outside of Poland became more aware of the new political climate that was rapidly moving into Poland.

By 1988, the Solidarity Workers were a strong force to be reckoned with. Polish citizens rallied round them and Walesa's voice carried far beyond the shipyard docks; the factories and the mills. His voice was heard world wide and on June 4, 1989 the Solidarity Candidates won by a landslide! Poland held its first free election since WWII. Tom Brokaw among other news pundits/reporters were in Poland, ready to congratulate the newly elected Solidarity Candidates.

1989 was a heady year. On June 4 1989, the same day the Solidary candidates won the election, Ayatollah Khomeini died and, on a sad note the Beijing Massacre in China occurred. June 4, 1989 was Triple Shot Sunday. During the fall of 1989 Walesa was flown to America and spoke before the Senate and the Congress. Then New York Mayor David Dinkins gave Walesa the Key to the City and had Walesa ride around Manhattan in the Mayor's car. Walesa was named Man of the Year in 1989, an honor he richly earned and deserved. I think we should raise our glasses to Lech Walesa!

During the latter part of 1989, other Eastern European countries broke with the Warsaw Pact. Vaclav Havel, a playwright was singularly honored in the former Czechoslavakia, now the Czech Republic. His political plays, once banned were broadcast on PBS television channels and included in libraries around the world. Like Walesa, Havel held a position of high political power. On November 10, 1989 the Berlin Wall was knocked down after serving as a barrier for 28 years. Also in late 1989, Imre Nagy was given a proper Catholic burial with a traditional Hungarian headstone after 35 years of being buried in an unmarked grave. He was finally given the respect he was long due.

Lech Walesa can rightfully take his place alongside of people like Robert Kennedy; Dr. King, Gandhi and all the freedom fighters who have throughout history worked hard to make political changes to improve the world. I salute all of these people and thank them from the bottom of my heart. Let's all once again raise our glasses to Lech Walesa!