Václav Havel

Václav Havel (IPA: [ˈva:ʦlaf ˈɦavɛl]) (born October 5, 1936) is a Czech writer and dramatist. He was the last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic. Vaclav Havel, from an official government site File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Vaclav Havel, from an official government site File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The International Phonetic Alphabet is a phonetic alphabet used by linguists to accurately and uniquely represent each of the wide variety of sounds (phones or phonemes) the human vocal apparatus can produce. ... October 5 is the 278th day of the year (279th in Leap years). ... 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... A dramatist is an author of dramatic compositions, usually plays. ... This is a list of presidents of the Czech Republic. ...

Havel was born in Prague. Following the Moscow-backed coup of 1948 he and his family were shunned for having been wealthy capitalists and pro-German collaborators (collaborants according to the Communist party daily Rudé Právo from February 23, 1989) and he had difficulties studying beyond the basic level, but took evening classes and studied briefly at the Czech Technical University (1957). After military service (1957-59) he worked as a stagehand in Prague (Theatre On the Balustrade) and studied drama by correspondence. His first publicly performed play was The Garden Party (1963). His best known play in the West is Largo Desolato. In 1964 he married Olga Splichalova. Prague (Praha in Czech) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... Moscow (Russian/Cyrillic: Москва́, pronunciation: Moskvá) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva, and encompassing 1097. ... A Czechoslovak propaganda poster celeberating the 50th anniversary of Rudé Právos founding Rudé Právo (Czech for The Red Right or The Red Law) was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU, České Vysoké Učení Technické v Praze – ČVUT in Czech) is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic. ... Military service is service in the armed forces of a nation or the military arm of a political organization. ... Prague (Praha in Czech) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... Drama is a term generally used to refer to a literary form involving parts written for actors to perform. ... Play – literature / theatre A play (noun) is a common form of literature, usually consisting chiefly of dialog between characters, and usually intended for performance rather than reading. ...

Following the suppression of the Prague Spring in 1968 he was banned from the theatre and became more politically active. This culminated with the publication of the Charter 77 manifesto. His political activities cost him five years in prison. He became famous for his brilliant articulation of "Post-Totalitarianism" (See: The Power of the Powerless), a term used to describe the modern social and political order that enabled people to "live within a lie." A passionate supporter of nonviolent resistence, he was a leading figure in the Velvet Revolution of 1989. On December 29, 1989, as head of the Civic Forum, he was elected president by the Federal Assembly. This article refers to a period of history of Czechoslovakia in 1968. ... The Charter 77 (Charta 77 in Czech and in Slovak) was an informal civic initiative in Czechoslovakia from 1977 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. ... A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. ... The Velvet Revolution (Czech: sametová revoluce, Slovak: nežná revolúcia) (November 16 - December 29, 1989) refers to a bloodless revolution in Czechoslovakia that saw the overthrow of the communist government there. ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 2 days remaining. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Civic Forum (Czech: Občanské fórum - OF) was a political party in the Czech Republic right after the Velvet Revolution in 1989. ...

Vaclav Havel with the Order of Canada

After the free elections of 1990 he retained the presidency. Despite increasing tensions, Havel strongly supported the retention of the federation of the Czechs and the Slovaks during the breakup of Czechoslovakia, known as the Velvet Divorce. On July 3, 1992 the federal parliament did not elect Havel - the only candidate for presidency - due to a lack of support from Slovak MPs. After the Slovaks issued their Declaration of Independence, he resigned as president on July 20. Download high resolution version (420x666, 51 KB)Source: http://www. ... Download high resolution version (420x666, 51 KB)Source: http://www. ... The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, awarded to those who adhere to the Orders motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam meaning they desire a better country. ... An election is a process in which a vote is held to choose amongst candidates to fill an office, or amongst political parties offering a slate of potential office holders for a house of representatives. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Velvet Divorce is a journalistic term for the dissolution of the former country of Czechoslovakia into the nations of Slovakia and the Czech Republic, effective January 1, 1993. ... July 3rd is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ...

When the Czech Republic was created he stood for election as president there on January 26, 1993, and won. Despite illness and three operations (He was a heavy smoker) (See his "Letters to Olga from prison" and his description of very strange above-standard meals in prison) he was re-elected in 1998. One parliamentarian (Miroslav Sladek from SPR-RSČ - Sdružení pro republiku - republikánská strana československa) was in police custody just during the Czech presidential elections in 1998. This single vote determined the result of the presidential elections. Vaclav Havel left office after his second term as Czech president ended on February 2, 2003; Václav Klaus, one of his greatest political opponents, was elected his successor on February 28, 2003. January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Václav Klaus (born 19 June 1941) is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Samuel Beckett's play Catastrophe is dedicated to him. Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (April 13, 1906 – December 22, 1989) was an Irish playwright, novelist and poet. ...

Havel's plays include:

• The Garden Party (1963)
• The Memorandum (1965)
• The Increased Difficulty of Concentration (1968)
• The Beggar's Opera (1975)
• Audience (1978)
• Private View (1978)
• Protest (1978)
• Largo desolato (1985)
• Temptation (1986)
• Redevelopment (1987)

The Beggars Opera is a ballad opera, a satiric play using some of the conventions of opera, but without the recitative. ...

Havel's books (In English) include:

• Letters to Olga (1988)
• Open Letters (1991)
• Disturbing the Peace (1991)
• The Power of the Powerless (1985)
• The Art of the Impossible (1998)

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about:

Václav Havel

• Václav Havel's official website (http://www.vaclavhavel.cz/)
• An unusual speech (http://www.worldtrans.org/whole/havelspeech.html) for a politician, arguing for the need for transcendent values in political life.
• Brief bio (http://www.radio.cz/en/article/36022) at Radio Prague
• Ambassador of Conscience (http://www.artforamnesty.org/aoc/biogs.html#vaclav) at Amnesty International
• Hero file (http://www.moreorless.au.com/heroes/havel.htm) at More or Less
• Havel, his memories and the world (http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2004/10/21/news/havel.html)- International Herald Tribune (21 October 2004)
• Interview (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/europe/jan-june97/havel_5-16a.html) transcript (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/europe/jan-june97/havel_5-16.html) at PBS
• Velvet President (http://reason.com/0305/fe.mw.velvet.shtml) essay
• U.S. Medal of Freedom (http://www.medaloffreedom.com/VaclavHavel.htm)
• Václav Havel: Heir to a Spiritual Legacy (http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=767)
• Vaclav Havel's Project Syndicate op/eds (http://www.project-syndicate.org/contributors/contributor_comm.php4?id=31)

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ...

Marián Čalfa was a leader of Czechoslovakia, who was also leading the government during the Velvet Revolution. ... This is a list of presidents of Czechoslovakia. ... Jan Stráský (24 December 1940) is Czech politician. ... This is a list of presidents of the Czech Republic. ... Vladimír Špidla Vladimír Špidla (born April 21, 1951 in Prague) is a Czech social democratic politician. ...