Havel: A Life - Softcover

Zantovsky, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0857898523 ISBN 13: 9780857898524

Publisher: Atlantic Books, 2015

Synopsis

This startling biography explores the remarkable life of an iconic figure of the twentieth century, Václav Havel, author and dissident, who became the first president of the Czech Republic. Vaclav Havel: iconoclast and philosopher king, an internationally successful playwright who became a political dissident and then, reluctantly, a president. His pivotal role in the Velvet Revolution and the modern Czech Republic makes him a key figure of the twentieth century. Michael Zantovsky was one of Havel's closest confidants. They lived through the revolution and during Havel's first presidency Zantovsky was his press secretary, speech writer and translator. Their friendship endured until Havel's death in 2011, making him a rare witness to this most extraordinary life.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Zantovsky is the current Czech Ambassador to the Court of St James. He was among the founding members of the movement that coordinated the overthrow of the communist regime. In January 1990 he became the spokesman, press secretary and advisor to his lifelong friend, President Vaclav Havel. He has combined a career in politics and the foreign service with work as an author and translator into Czech of many contemporary British and American writers.

Review:

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice

"Entertaining, intimate, and moving . . . Zantovsky’s voice that of a natural storyteller with an eye for the memorable anecdote, a mischievous wit, an easy intelligence, and keen sense of balance and fairness is so engaging . . . His account of Havel’s life and ideas [has] an exceptional cultural depth and sensitivity." Paul Wilson, New York Review of Books

"[An] intimate new biography . . . a splendid remembrance of Havel." Wall Street Journal

"Zantovsky revives the revolutionary Havel." Vanity Fair

"Deeply sympathetic . . . an enthralling, sometimes thrilling, portrait of an infinitely varied character, a man of deep contradictions nurtured by equally deep convictions. . . . The biography of the year." Observer (a Book of the Year)

"[Zantovsky] tells the story with a great flair for detail, almost as though he had stood at Havel’s shoulder, taking notes. . . . Thanks to Zantovsky’s truthfulness, Havel emerges from this account as a great national leader whose greatness was inseparable from real humility and grace." Roger Scruton, Times (UK)

"A superb biography. . . . The volume not only brings Havel to life with unparalleled vividness. It also lays out the heart-breaking history of Czechoslovakia. . . . [Zantovsky] has managed to bring Havel alive in language that has the intimacy of a memoir yet is fully grounded in facts. . . . What this magisterial biography does so well is give us an even-handed portrait of a remarkable, flawed man." Roberta Silman, ArtsFuse

"Zantovsky narrates the events of Havel’s life, from his privileged upbringing to his participation in the Charter 77 dissident circle to his variously triumphant and troubled presidency, and does so thoroughly and engagingly. . . . A rare biographical success: affectionate but balanced, comprehensive but also uncommonly intimate." Booklist (starred)

"Vivid and intimate . . . This moving, perceptive chronicle succeeds in showing the many dimensions of a towering 20th-century figure." Publishers Weekly

"A balanced, candid portrait . . . Zantovsky brings an intimate perspective to this impressive biography of a man and history of a beleaguered nation." Kirkus Reviews

"This lively biography will reintroduce a major figure in modern history and letters to a new generation." Spectator

"Havel was one of the most important intellectual-troublemaking statesmen of his time a nonconformist, determined to live in truth, who questioned the system, his countrymen and himself constantly. No one is better suited than Michael Zantovsky to describe, interpret, and analyze this moral giant. While providing us with a brilliantly informed intellectual and political history, Zantovsky’s own background as a psychiatrist, journalist, participant in the Velvet Revolution, key advisor and friend allows him to present the fullest picture of this great and complicated man. Zantovsky’s masterful biography of Havel is written with great understanding, candor, and love and provides us with expert analysis of not only politics but also Havel’s plays to boot." Madeleine Albright

"Václav Havel is one of the paramount moral and political leaders of our time, and Michael Zantovsky has produced his definitive biography. Smart and exciting, it captures his greatness. Based on a long and close relationship, access to private letters, and many interviews, this deeply personal tale is both inspiring and filled with lessons for our time." Walter Isaacson

"Michael Zantovsky’s biography of Václav Havel is a joy and an inspiration. Warm, wry, witty, it tells the life story of one of the most significant thinkers, writers, and politicians of our time. . . . Zantovsky has paid his friend the ultimate compliment of writing not a hagiography but a superbly nuanced biography which will never be equaled." William Shawcross

"Michael Zantovsky has written an intimate and penetrating story of the man who symbolizes the end of the Cold War and the building of freedom and reconciliation in Europe. Inspirational, moral, fun loving, theatrical, indecisive, conflicted and ultimately tragic, Havel had been the architect of the Velvet Revolution and was Czechoslovakia’s first post-cold war President. As Havel’s close friend and collaborator for nearly 30 years, Zantovsky helps us admire and understand this philosopher king whose summons 'Power of the Powerless' gave courage and hope to people around the globe." William H. Luers (U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia 1983-1986)

About this edition

• Publisher: Atlantic Books
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0857898523
• ISBN 13: 9780857898524
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 560