Vaclav Havel: Rethinking what it means to be a political artist
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Obituaries for Václav Havel, the dissident playwright turned Czech president, seemed to devote more column inches to his political career than to his plays. This isn’t unreasonable, but it made me want to encounter his dramatic works again.
Unfortunately, Havel’s plays are rarely revived these days in America. Perhaps his death will change that. But for those wanting to get to know Havel the playwright better, the quickest way is to read his plays.
Rereading Havel, I began to contemplate what it means to be called a “political artist.” In a Sunday Arts & Books notebook, I take up the question and what I discover forces me to rethink some of my assumptions.
To read this critic’s notebook on Havel, please click here.
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--Charles McNulty
