Customer Reviews

Vaclav Havel : A Political Tragedy in Six Acts

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What a lot of ruffled feathers! A book this well-written must have a lot going for it to upset so many people. And, by the way, the most favorable review below, by "Erica Blair," is a piece of legerdemain by a certain author. Readers of the biography should be able to figure it out.
I think readers are upset because the book isn't what they expected. Despite its length, it isn't a standard biography with endless accretion of unnecessary detail. For large sections Havel seems absent from these pages, because Keane concentrates on describing--in vivid, smart prose--what it was like to be Czech at various points in Havel's lifetime. It's almost as if we're experiencing these times through Havel's eyes.
Quite subtly, without appearing to do so, Keane gives us what we need to know about Czech history and politics to understand what made Havel. It's all here, and a graphic and painless read, unlike the more formal histories I've read.
I agree that calling Havel's life a tragedy is a stretch. The only tragedy Keane comes up with is Havel's ultimate rejection as a politician by his fellow Czechs. But Keane himself points out that this tends to happen to all popular politicians later in their terms of office. (See the fate of Blair and Little Georgie Boy.) Havel seems to be thriving, and all the revelations about his boozing, smoking and fornicating seem to make him seem more human and detract not a bit from his reputation. His books of essays will last as long as political writing endures.

John Keene's book had been sitting on my "to-be-read" bookshelf for some time now. I decided to read it immediately after Vaclav Havel's death. To say that I was startled by some of the revelations about a man who has been my hero would be an understatement. Full disclosure: I am a dual citizen of the US and the Czech Republic; I was born the same year and in the same city as President Havel (1936 in Prague). As I describe in my memoir, I was ordered to forget everything that had happened to me and my family in the former Czechoslovakia once we came ashore in America in 1949. I managed to do that until the moment I saw Vaclav Havel standing on a balcony in Wenceslas Square in November 1989 and thousands of people jangling their keys and shouting "Havel to the Castle!" After a long hiatus, I became extremely proud of my native country and even participated in a small way in its transformation to democracy and a market economy. I was inspired by the man who followed the example of the great philosopher president, Tomas G. Masaryk -- Vaclav Havel. Like so many people throughout the world, I admired Havel for his honesty, his humanity, his concern for social change and human rights, and his humility.

Keene's book has not changed my mind, but it has certainly given rise to doubts. I knew about Havel's nasty smoking habit and apparent disregard for his health, and I was not so naive as to believe that he was perfect. However, I was stunned by two revelations so much emphasized in the book: Havel's womanizing and his apparent long-term plan to lead his country. The latter, particularly, was a surprise -- one which I need to have verified by other sources before I believe it fully. One of Havel's most attractive characteristics was his apparent reluctance to be "king." The common perception, including mine, was that he would prefer to write plays and drink beer with his friends to sitting in the Castle. Now, I'm told that he planned to be a kingpin -- and an "Ichspieler" at that -- all along. Moreover, Keene writes that Havel would do almost anything to reach that goal.

The book is extremely well researched and sources are meticulously documented, so it is difficult to dismiss the picture presented here, as some other reviewers have done. Yet, I refuse to believe that "the emperor has no clothes," and I intend to delve more deeply into the subject before I am ready to render a final verdict on a man who remains my hero. While I may have doubts, I thank the author for arousing my curiosity and forcing me to look further.

I was recently in Prague and having read a Havel play (and being a fan of Kundera and Klima) I felt like I needed to know more about the man Havel is. Fortunately I am also interested in the machinations of power structures and how humans spin their webs. This was the main theme of this book, and Havel was it's main character. The chapter about Havel in jail was riveting, but I must say, throughout the book, I would have like more detail regarding the important stories that add dimension to his life, so I would say I should have read something else. Still, Keane's intelligence and insight connect Havel's life with the historical context from which he arises very well. I would say that this it the books greatest strength. I learned a lot, though not always about Havel.

I bought this because, without any real data, I had come to think of Havel as a hero. I suppose it was primarily because a creative intellectual in position of political power gives me hope. I felt a need to justify my position, and I believe the book fulfilled that purpose. However, I, too, would have preferred more biography. The treatment of Olga's death was jarring, included as it was in a paragraph about Havel's movie-star girlfriend/wife. Too, the final chapter on death was a bit of a stretch; too full of literary ambition and not enough detail. I had to search for Havel's website to discover that, in fact, he is alive and active.

The section on the Velvet Revolution was particularly engaging, though it seemed that Keane jumped around the timeline a bit much.

Skip this insulting piece of garbage. I almost couldn't believe what I was reading! At one point Keane seems to imply that Havel's five years as a political prisoner, was nothing more than a planned political move to further his career. Mr. Keane definitely is not a historian, or for that matter, a good writer. What a pity that the book has even received so much publicity. A pure unadulterated insult to one of the greatest figures of our time. Shame on you Keane. Attacking this courageous leader for smoking and drinking habits. I wonder if Keane might have looked for a beer and cigarette after 5 years in a communist prison. Lastly, he criticizes Havel as a writer. Wow, this guy has some really big stones! He writes a piece of junk and in it criticizes one of the most creative and courageous voices of our time. This website only lets you rate from 1 star up, otherwise I would have given it no stars. A waste of time and paper.

Mr Rossman's review of Vaclav Havel : A Political Tragedy in Six Acts is most misleading and surely based on a careless reading of the book - perhaps even no reading of the book. It should be ignored. The book is very much richer and of long-term significance than he makes out.