Vaclav Havel, playwright and leader of the "Velvet Revolution" for Czechoslovakian independence, died Sunday at his weekend home in the northern Czech Republic. He was 75 years old. A chain-smoker, he suffered from chronic respiratory issues since his many years in prison.
"Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred," Havel famously said.
President Obama, Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa of Poland, and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright offered written tribute to Havel.
Havel was born in Prague in October, 1936. His wealthy family lost their property when the Communists took over in 1948. Denied a formal education, he obtained a degree from a night school and started his theater career as a stage hand, eventually becoming a playwright who penned plays and essays profoundly irksome to the Communists. His 1977 manifesto made him famous. Along with other writings, he served four years in jail, where his letters to his wife, Olga, became famous to the people of his country.
Demonstrations in August, 1988, exactly twenty years after the country was invaded by the Warsaw Pact, led to chants of Havel’s name by a young crowd. He was arrested in January of 1989 at another protest. His trial generated anger both at home and internationally. The pressure was so intense that he was released from jail in May. In November of that year, the Berlin Wall fell. Eight days afterward, a demonstration by thousands of Prague students was violently broken up by the police. Within two days, a broad opposition movement was founded, and in three boisterous weeks, communist rule was broken. Just as the Soviet tanks rolled out of Prague, Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones arrived for a concert. The country’s parliament, still in communist hands, ,made him President on December 29, 1989.
Havel was not pleased by the breakup of his nation into the Czech Republic and Slovenia in the early 1990s, and he resined as president. His popularity was such that he became president of the new Czech Republic in an uncontested race. Most of the subsequent pro-market reforms have been credited to his political rival Vaclav Klaus, who was then prime minister of the country and is now President.
The media became more critical of Havel, his wife Olga died on cancer in 1996, the Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999, and he left office in 2003.
Havel’s second wife, Dagmar Veskrnova, and a nun who cared for him in his final months, were at his side at the time of he died.
Havel received dozens of awards, including Sweden’s Olof Palme Prize, the American Presidential Medal of Freedom, and several nominations for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Havel viewed the worldwide economic slump that began in 2008 as a reminder to retain basic human values even when trying to prosper. He published another play, "Leaving," about a struggling leader at the end of his time in power. This work attained critical acclaim.
Summarized from this Associated Press report:
http://news.yahoo.com/havel-hero-anti-communist-revolution-dies-210508182.html;_ylt=AiDEB9kE6RKBIOY75dGK1AKs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNtdHEzdTF1BG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBGUARwa2cDMWI3N2JlYzQtMWE1NS0zNTEzLTg1N2YtNGU3YWY4MmI2ZTU1BHBvcwMxNARzZWMDdG9wX3N0b3J5BHZlcgNmODU0YzEwMC0yOWJjLTExZTEtOWZhZC1iODkwOGY1NmEwOWI-;_ylg=X3oDMTJlaTQzcG12BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QDTm9uZXdzcmVhZGVyb25uZXdzaG9tZQ--;_ylv=3
"Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred," Havel famously said.
President Obama, Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa of Poland, and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright offered written tribute to Havel.
Havel was born in Prague in October, 1936. His wealthy family lost their property when the Communists took over in 1948. Denied a formal education, he obtained a degree from a night school and started his theater career as a stage hand, eventually becoming a playwright who penned plays and essays profoundly irksome to the Communists. His 1977 manifesto made him famous. Along with other writings, he served four years in jail, where his letters to his wife, Olga, became famous to the people of his country.
Demonstrations in August, 1988, exactly twenty years after the country was invaded by the Warsaw Pact, led to chants of Havel’s name by a young crowd. He was arrested in January of 1989 at another protest. His trial generated anger both at home and internationally. The pressure was so intense that he was released from jail in May. In November of that year, the Berlin Wall fell. Eight days afterward, a demonstration by thousands of Prague students was violently broken up by the police. Within two days, a broad opposition movement was founded, and in three boisterous weeks, communist rule was broken. Just as the Soviet tanks rolled out of Prague, Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones arrived for a concert. The country’s parliament, still in communist hands, ,made him President on December 29, 1989.
Havel was not pleased by the breakup of his nation into the Czech Republic and Slovenia in the early 1990s, and he resined as president. His popularity was such that he became president of the new Czech Republic in an uncontested race. Most of the subsequent pro-market reforms have been credited to his political rival Vaclav Klaus, who was then prime minister of the country and is now President.
The media became more critical of Havel, his wife Olga died on cancer in 1996, the Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999, and he left office in 2003.
Havel’s second wife, Dagmar Veskrnova, and a nun who cared for him in his final months, were at his side at the time of he died.
Havel received dozens of awards, including Sweden’s Olof Palme Prize, the American Presidential Medal of Freedom, and several nominations for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Havel viewed the worldwide economic slump that began in 2008 as a reminder to retain basic human values even when trying to prosper. He published another play, "Leaving," about a struggling leader at the end of his time in power. This work attained critical acclaim.
Summarized from this Associated Press report:
http://news.yahoo.com/havel-hero-anti-communist-revolution-dies-210508182.html;_ylt=AiDEB9kE6RKBIOY75dGK1AKs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNtdHEzdTF1BG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBGUARwa2cDMWI3N2JlYzQtMWE1NS0zNTEzLTg1N2YtNGU3YWY4MmI2ZTU1BHBvcwMxNARzZWMDdG9wX3N0b3J5BHZlcgNmODU0YzEwMC0yOWJjLTExZTEtOWZhZC1iODkwOGY1NmEwOWI-;_ylg=X3oDMTJlaTQzcG12BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QDTm9uZXdzcmVhZGVyb25uZXdzaG9tZQ--;_ylv=3
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