Open Letters

Open Letters

Selected Prose 1965 - 1990

Selected and Edited by Paul Wilson

Faber and Faber London Boston

Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Second Wind
On Evasive Thinking
On the Theme of an Opposition
Letter to Alexander Dubcek
"Dear Dr. Husak"
"It Always Makes Sense to Tell the Truth"
The Trial
Article 202
Article 203
The Power of the Powerless
Reports on My House Arrest
Two Letters from Prison
"I Take the Side of Truth"
Politics and Conscience
Six Asides About Culture
Thriller
Anatomy of a Reticence
Two Notes on Charter 77
Stories and Totalitarianism
Meeting Gorbachev
Farce, Reformability, and the Future of the World
Thinking About Frantisek K.
Testing Ground
A Word About Words
New Year's Address
Notes
Index

First published in the USA in 1991 by Alfred A. Knopf Inc.
First published in Great Britain in 1991 by Faber and Faber Limited 3 Queen Square London WCIN 3AU
Published by arrangement with Rowohlt Verlag GmbH, Reinbek bei Hamburg
This paperback edition first published in 1992

Printed in England by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc

"On the Theme of an Opposition", "Letter to Alexander Dubcek", "Farce, Reformability, and the Future of the World", © A. G. Brain, 1991

Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following for permission to publish these previous English translations:
"Thinking About Frantisek K.", "Testing Ground", and "A Word About Words", © A. G. Brain, 1988, 1989, 1990
"Six Asides About Culture" and "Anatomy of a Reticence", © Erazim Kohak, 1985
"Politics and Conscience", © Erazim Kohak and Roger Scruton, 1985
"`I Take the Side of Truth': An Interview with Antoine Spire" and "Meeting Gorbachev", © George Theiner, 1983, 1988

Vaclav Havel is hereby identified as author of this work in accordance with Section 77 of thc Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 57I-165214