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Vaclav Havel was born on October 5, 1936, In Prague, Czechia
He was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright -
Mother- Božena Vavrečková
Father- Václav Maria Havel
Vaclav had 3 bothers and 2 sisters
Havel was the son of a wealthy family with a restaurant whose property was confiscated by the communist government of Czechoslovakia in 1948. -
Czechoslovakia suffered economically during the Great Depression. The decline in industry led to public outcry. the Sudetenland Germans escalated the situation. The Sudeten Germans believed they were treated unfairly by the Czechoslovakian government. So, Adolf Hitler helped them. -
In 1959, he became a stagehand at a Prague theatrical company and soon began writing plays with Ivan Vyskočil. The Theatre of the Balustrade company employed Havel as a resident playwright by 1968. -
Havel was denied easy access to education due to his bourgeois parents. Although, he was a chemical laboratory assistant and completed his secondary education in 1954. The colleges or universities with humanities programs wouldn’t accept Havel for political reasons. He studied at Czech Technical University in Prague and dropped out after two years. -
Havel's political philosophy was one of anti-consumerism, humanitarianism, environmentalism, civil activism, and direct democracy. -
- No direct Influences
- Havel grew up under a communist dictatorship in Czechoslovakia which influenced his ideas on basic human rights
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The Garden Party is about absurdist, satirical examination of bureaucratic routines and their dehumanizing effects. -
Vaclav married his first wife on July 9th, 1964
Olga Havlová -
Vaclav's most known play is Vyrozumění. In the play, Josef Gross, the director of an out-of-control organization, is afflicted by the tribulations of bureaucracy. -
In 1968, He participated in the Prague Spring (liberal reforms) as an active participant. Which was a protest in wanting more individual freedoms which include media, speech, and travel. -
In the 1970s and '80s, he was repeatedly arrested for human rights activities in Czechoslovakia. He served four years in prison (1979–83). After his release from prison, Havel remained in his homeland. Also, his plays were banned and his passport was confiscated. -
1968, The Increased Difficulty of Concentration
1971, The Conspirators
1975, the three one-act plays Audience
1975 Private View
1978 Protest
1985 Largo Desolato
1988, Tomorrow -
It is I Who Must Begin By Vaclav Havel -
Havel emerged as a leading figure in the Civic Forum in November 1989 when large anti-government demonstrations erupted in Prague. -
There was a non-communist opposition group pushing for democratic reforms. The Communist Party capitulated and formed a coalition government with the Civic Forum in early December. Vaclav was then elected president and became the first non-communist president (In Czechoslovakia). -
On 4 July 1994, Václav Havel was awarded the Philadelphia Liberty Medal. he said: "The idea of human rights and freedoms must be an integral part of any meaningful world order. Yet I think it must be anchored in a different place, and in a different way, than has been the case so far. If it is to be more than just a slogan mocked by half the world”
He went on to be awarded more awards in arts, science, peace, and contributions to his community. -
Vaclav married his second wife Dagmar Havlová who is an actress. -
Havel’s first new play in more than 20 years. The Leaving is a tragicomedy that draws on his experiences as president and presents a chancellor leaving his post while grappling with a political enemy -
- Known to be a heavy smoker -Almost died during lung cancer treatment in 1996
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Vaclav Havel at 75 died in his country house in Northern Bohemia. -
"The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human meekness and human responsibility." -Vaclav Havel -
Tikkanen, Amy. “Václav Havel.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 9 Oct. 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/Vaclav-Havel.
Bilefsky, Dan, and Jane Perlez. “Vaclav Havel, Former Czech President, Dies at 75.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Dec. 2011, www.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/world/europe/vaclav-havel-dissident-playwright-who-led-czechoslovakia-dead-at-75.html. -
“Vaclav Havel: RFK Human Rights.” ROBERT F. KENNEDY HUMAN RIGHTS, rfkhumanrights.org/vaclav-havel. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.
swanson, Erik. “‘Truth Prevails: 100 Years of Czechoslovak History.’” Keston Collection Exhibits, 10 Oct. 2018, sites.baylor.edu/keston-collections/2018/10/10/truth-prevails-100-years-of-czechoslovak-history/#:~:text=Hitler%20and%20his%20troops%20marched,the%20Third%20Reich%20in%201944. -