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Article: Vaclav Havel: Living in Truth.
- Article from:
- The Progressive
- Article date:
- April 1, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 The Progressive, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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When I talked with Czechs about Vaclav Havel during a brief visit to Prague last fall, I was surprised to find that many did not share the esteem and enthusiasm with which their illustrious compatriot is so widely regarded in the West. Havel had just resigned as president of Czechoslovakia so that he would not have to preside over the dissolution of his country. He would return in a few months to head the new, truncated Czech Republic. His symbol-rich exit from the Prague Castle--wearing a T-shirt, carrying a backpack--had made more of an impression elsewhere in Europe (and in the United States) than at home.
Czechs criticized Havel for not fighting hard enough ...