Vaclav Havel addresses a pro-democratic rally In Wenceslas Square in Prague on December 10, 1989

Václav Havel: Playwright Turned Political Dissident Turned President

The Leonard Lopate Show | Nov 11, 2014

Václav Havel was an iconoclast and an intellectual, a playwright turned political dissident, president of a united then divided nation, and human rights activist. Michael Zantovsky, Havel’s former press secretary, advisor, and longtime friend, discusses the life and work of Havel, one of the most important figures of the 20th century. His biography Havel: A Life is an account of Havel’s unflagging belief in the power of the powerless, and how he played a pivotal role as the leader of the Velvet Revolution in 1989.

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

Top Stories

NYC still refused most emergency aid requests to prevent eviction after Mamdani took office

In the first three months of the year, the city rejected about 75% of applications for One-Shot Deal emergency grants, which help tenants cover unpaid rent.
Gothamist |

When AI Models Go Rogue

The Brian Lehrer Show |

"The Vessel" Follows the Grief and Trauma of an Unlikely Trio

All Of It with Alison Stewart |

How the U.S. Government Built an Underground City, and Other State Secrets

How FEMA's secretive beginnings fed conspiracy theories that haunt the agency today.
On the Media |
YOU ARE ONLINE