Items related to To the Castle and Back
Synopsis
What is it like to be handed the keys to power and told to build a democratic state from scratch? Havel offers a disarmingly honest and frequently funny account of the challenges of running a country, both major (his struggle against Mafia capitalism) and mundane (his struggle to work his own computer system).This book provides a frank and fresh perspective on the politicking and horse-trading in Washington, the EU and NATO, with revealing sketches of the personalities involved, from the Clintons to Gorbachev. On 2 February 2008, it will be the fifth anniversary of Havel stepping down as the first President of the Czech Republic after 10 years in the role. Author visit to UK - opportunities for features, author events, radio appearances and serious broadsheet attention. This is a simultaneous publication in export tpb - ISBN 978 1 84627 145 8.As president first of Czechoslovakia and then of the nascent Czech Republic, Havel led central Europe out of communism and into the twenty-first century before stepping down 5 years ago, in February 2003. In this illuminating memoir, he recollects his thirteen years at Prague Castle during this pivotal period, writing with wit, charm and candour about the peculiar life of a statesman and his lack of readiness for the surreal challenges of governing a young democracy, as well as reflecting on the future of the EU and the reach of the American superpower, and explaining why he has come to believe the war in Iraq is a fiasco. And then there are the personal revelations, as he speaks for the first time about his battle with lung cancer, the death of his first wife, Olga, and the controversy that has dogged his relationship with his second wife. Infused with characteristic humour, "To the Castle and Back" is an engaging self-portrait of one of the most important figures of our time.
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Review
'...post-modernist memoir that leaves the traditional political autobiography gasping for self-justified breath'
-- The Times
A political memoir like no other...a compelling record of what candour and moral courage can achieve.
-- Economist
An artful, sly and touching self-portrait...
you read with an emotion that finally overwhelms anything you might feel about 1989 -- Paul Berman, International Herald Tribune
[The book] is both memoir and political testament, written with Havel's characteristic blend of self-effacement and brilliance.
-- London Review
About the Author
VACLAV HAVEL was born in Czechoslovakia in 1936. His plays have been produced around the world, and he is the author of many influential essays and speeches on totalitarianism, dissent and democratic renewal. He was a founding spokesman for Charter 77, and served as president of the Czech Republic until 2003. He lives in Prague.
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- PublisherPortobello Books Ltd
- Publication date2008
- ISBN 10 1846271371
- ISBN 13 9781846271373
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages400
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ISBN 13: 9781846271373
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