Summer Meditations

by Václav Havel, Paul Wilson (Translator)

In a book written while he was president of Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel combines the same powerful eloquence, moral passion, and abiding wisdom that informed his writing as a dissident and playwright, with a candor unprecedented from one with the broad perspective and infinite responsibility of governing a country.

Havel, now president of the Czech Republic, addresses the legacy of Communism as the euphoria of the Velvet Revolution gives way to a more problematic reality. Yet even as he grapples with the challenges of political change, he affirms his belief in a politics motivated by moral responsibility; in an economy tempered by compassion; and in the central roles of art and culture in the transformation of society. Summer Meditations is not only a timely and necessary testament of events in Eastern Europe but a profound reflection upon the nature and practice of politics and a stirring call for morality, civility, and openness in public life throughout the world.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Czech Literature, History, Essays, Biography

149 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Václav Havel was a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia (1989–92) and the first President of the Czech Republic (1993–2003). He wrote over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally. He received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Philadelphia Liberty Medal, the Order of Canada, the freedom medal of the Four Freedoms Award, and the Ambassador of Conscience Award. He was also voted 4th in Prospect Magazine's 2005 global poll of the world's top 100 intellectuals. He was a founding signatory of the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism.

Beginning in the 1960s, his work turned to focus on the politics of Czechoslovakia. After the Prague Spring, he became increasingly active. In 1977, his involvement with the human rights manifesto 'Charter 77' brought him international fame as the leader of the opposition in Czechoslovakia; it also led to his imprisonment. The 1989 "Velvet Revolution" launched Havel into the presidency. In this role he led Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic to multi-party democracy. His thirteen years in office saw radical change in his nation, including its split with Slovakia, which Havel opposed, its accession into NATO and start of the negotiations for membership in the European Union, which was attained in 2004.

Reviews

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful insight into the mind of a great Czech humanist and a former president. Two years after the Velvet revolution, he kindly explains his political action, his intentions and humanistic principles. He reflects on the way of establishing democracy in Czechoslovakia and creating the new constitution, his fear of separation of Czech and Slovak nations (with admirable understanding of the Slovak side of view), the status of Czechoslovakia among other states and its participation in international organizations, his opinions on ideology in general and his personal principles and his dreams about future. While based on experience from Czechoslovakia his thoughts are universal, enriching for foreigner reader as well.

[Emilelisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vaclav, bravo!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first read this series of essays in 1994, the revolutions of 1989 were still giving off a soft afterglow. Havel, the dissident playwright, led the "Velvet Revolution" that overthrew the communist regime in Czechoslovakia and was subsequently chosen as president. He symbolized the new Europe for many people.

Havel argues that the validity of political systems should be judged on how well they conform to humanistic values. Reading his work gives one hope that a politics based in ethical relations between state and citizen is not only desirable but possible.

Plus, you have to appreciate a man who invited Frank Zappa to be the first official visitor to post-communist Czechoslovakia.

[Nick Diaco]

Summer Meditations can be summed up in one simple phrase: embrace ideas, not ideologies. It is surprising how relevant the problems that faced post-communist Czechoslovakia are to our own society today, and how much better off we would all be if we were to abide by Havel's simple political principles. Although this book might not masterfully translated (don't try to read it for pleasure), its important message is by no means lost in translation.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

the next presendential election is over a year away, and i'm already feeling disenchanted by politics again. reading havel's political and personal philosophy was a breath of fresh air. it's nice to hear a public figure talk about morality and discover they are referring to kindness, sincerity and compassion rather than the "morality" talking points we are subjected to by politicians in this country -- dogmatic right wing ideology. imagine having a dissident and playwright as our president who "acted as an instrument of the times," rather than "the decider." i wish every american "public servant" would read this book and be compelled to try sincerty rather than pandering to focus groups.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I read this book for the first time when I was 18, but when I "re-read" it a couple of months ago, it seemed to me that I maybe hadn't actually read the whole thing back then. I think I may only have read the first couple of chapters. Anyways, now I've read the whole thing.

Havel wrote this book while he was the president of Czechoslovakia, shortly before the Velvet Divorce when the county split up. This is a book that really gives you hope that politics really can be moral and civil. I have a lot of respect for this guy.

This book was very much written for a Czech audience, although the translator explains things for English-speaking audiences a little bit. Being a person who didn't live in Czechoslovakia in 1992 makes it a little harder to enjoy this book, but it's still really great.

I once read a book of Havel's speeches called The Art of the Impossible, but I think it must be out of print.

[Kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book while travelling in the Czech Republic. It was fascinating to read Vaclav Havel's hopes and concerns for the future of his country, written just after the fall of communism, while observing first hand what things are like a little more than 20 years later, the book is short, heartfelt, insightful, and well written. There is at least one quotable line on almost every page. Even though many things have changed since he wrote the book (e.g. the Czech and Slovak republics have become separate independent nations), this book will be relevant for a long time. Worth the short time it takes to read it, for sure.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Vikas Datta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vital read...

[Kayla Grzech]

if you were to take everything i've ever said, felt, or thought about politics and write it down into a book, this would be it. Except told from the viewpoint of a revolutionary Czech president.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book from a box of books that were being given away. I recognized the name of the author and threw it in the side pocket of the duffel bag I take to work as a backup, if I finished whatever book I was reading and needed one to occupy downtime on the job.

I'm glad I chose this one.

Given the precarious nature and inane milieu of the current political moment, I think it invaluable to read things written by men and women who lived through the climaxes, downfalls, and recoveries post-totalitarianism. This is true whether the totalitarianism in question was communist, fascist, or whatever label one wishes to apply.

As for this book, if one wishes to see into the mind of a true liberal, representative of the liberalism that I grew up admiring (not, unfortunately, what passes for "liberalism" today), then this is a great place to start.

[Diyya · Rating 5 out of 5]

From being imprisoned to becoming the president...

A brilliant and enlightening read, Havel's "Summer Meditations" is in essence a collection of his thoughts rather than a tedious drawn-out political essay produced by other "political figures."

The best thing about this particular book is how accessible it is regardless of your knowledge on politics and political history. Havel's writing is easy to digest and not refined to fit a set ideology (he himself admits that he does not believe to be either left or right, socialist or capitalist, etc.).

Summer meditations is an organic take on politics, one that keeps morality into account and rejects the idea of being tied to one political direction. This is one of those books worth reading regardless of your political/social background.

5/5

[Paul Vant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summer Meditations by Václav Havel

In the immediate aftermath of the Velvet Revolution, also known as the "Gentle Revolution" where the people of Czechoslovakia regained their independence from Communist Russia control, Czechoslovakians were in desperate need of a leader to guide their country through this transitional period. They turned to a rebellious playwright and human rights activist Václav Havel when they elected him as President in 1989. President Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the newly formed Czech Republic, following Slovakia's separation from Czechoslovakia to form an independent state.

In Summer Meditations, President Václav Havel writes a memoir that essentially gives him an unmuted, unchallenged platform to share his thoughts on a broad range of topics and policies relevant to Czechoslovakians. Most notably is the defense for his decisions regarding the switch to a market-based economy, despite hardships and increased unemployment, from the communist-based economy that the country was accustomed to under the Soviet control, and then his advocacy for Czechoslovakia to remain a united independent state, rather then the separation of Slovakia from the Czech Republic. Written in the summer of 1992 while he was was still serving in office, President Havel lays out his positions in a detailed, point-by-point method. President Havel shares his opinions, many of which are unpopular, and then makes bold statements and predictions on many of the topics in the hearts and minds of Czechoslovakians.

President Havel presents himself as a humble, "for the people"-type leader. His writing style and thought process reminded me of President Obama. Havel was exceptionally careful with his words and phrasing, often times saying, "let me be clear...", while giving a nuanced, detail and evidence-based opinion. Havel spends a significant amount of time outlining his reasoning for why Czechoslovakia should remain a united state, despite Slovakia's desire to separate and form an new independent nation. Ultimately, the Czechoslovakians did not listen to their President's plea, as Slovakia became an independent state in 1993.

What stood out to me the most during my reading of this book was how relevant his writings are towards modern politics, nearly thirty years later. One could extract a quote from nearly every page in the book and apply it towards a political situation in today's world and it would be relevant. It demonstrates how the challenges that we are facing at the moment are not necessarily new, just with different actors on the world stage. This is especially evident when Havel discusses the benefits of a market-based free economy over a government-control communist economy. He warns against the alluring and tempting claims of communism while he advocates for a free, democratically-elected society. We are seeing these issues reemerge as a major theme in today's political environment, as the communist governments of Russia, China, and North Korea try to reassert their authority and weaken western democracies.

President Havel's book Summer Meditations, is worth revisiting in order to regain perspective on many of the issues facing global politics. It reminded me of what politicians can be, rather than what we so often see, and that is leaders that are humble, intelligent, and respectful. Havel describes in the beginning of his book about how he somewhat reluctantly accepted the presidential nomination for his party. His desire was never to have absolute power, but to improve his country by establishing a free democratic society.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Havel, the artist, was a reluctant head of state (as he was a reluctant dissident). Claiming a commitment stemming from a sense of decency and morality, Havel writes that “It simply seemed to me that, since I had been saying A for so long, I could not refuse to say B; it would have been irresponsible of me to criticize the Communist regime all my life and then, when it finally collapsed (with some help from me), refuse to take part in the creation of something better” (xvi).

Havel reasons that if he and his compatriots were able to topple Communism through means that were decent (nonviolent; true to their ideals), it is no less naïve to think that the same decency and morality could direct politics. If any politician were able to make such a claim, it would be Havel the artist intellectual, someone who convincingly claims that he has no interest in power.

Communist control corrupted the citizenry, Havel explains, and so a remaking of the way citizens relate to one another, is necessary to advance a decent politics. An entire generation was born into Communism and seized civic institutions socialized that generation into Communism. It is not a stretch to argue that people and civic institutions would need to be rehabilitated with a breath of free air.

Given his survival of the Soviet regime, it is not difficult to understand where Havel is coming from when he rejects “topographic” positions of right and left in politics. After being denied a space of civil society in which ideas could freely pass, one can imagine the thirst for new thinking to push out any entertainment of strict ideologies. As the nation’s new leader, Havel resists identifying strictly, as capitalist, socialist, or otherwise. Regarding the latter: “It has been a long time since I referred to myself as a socialist, not because my heart is now in a different place, but because that word—especially in our linguistic context, where it has been so abused—is more confusing than precise. Though it is starting to mean something precise again today, it still does not offer what I would call a meaningful point of departure
(61).

But for an American, living in a society with a history of a relatively free civic society that has not managed to produce sufficient power to fight back against capital, to read Havel’s ideological open-endness causes one to grow impatient. The effect is a feeling of pleasure while between the book covers, but a vague sense of doubt after the book is closed. Like when reality begins to seep in after closing a work of fiction and the novel recedes from reality and into memory.

Appreciating Havel, then, involves a certain suspension of context. While putting oneself in Havel’s context, we can affirm his deep faith and investment in public debate and civil society, and the clean slate of new ideas. How incredibly simple and refreshing--indeed revolutionary--it must have been, to make arguments for the free and open exchange of ideas and decency in public life after Communism’s fall. After the “moment after the revolution,” as experience accumulates, theorizing the summation of those experiences would be important for informing future decisions. Summer Meditations is this early moment, and is a pleasure to read. Later writing by Havel, with requisite reflection on decisions and positions taken, therefore, would be fascinating to read. Can this well-wishing permeate the rest of society, leading to political health, or will thuggery from the nation’s Soviet past endure and corrupt society for the foreseeable future?

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer Meditations, by Vaclav Havel, offers a refreshing contrast to the barrage of negative stories that dominate our current political landscape. The Czech president, rather than being embittered by the repression and persecution that he endured during the Soviet domination of Czechoslovakia, offers a view of political leadership that inspires and exhorts. Havel defines government as a means to create a moral and cultured society where working for the collective good supersedes partisanship and incivility. Havel's vision is in marked contrast to the current situation in the United States and other nations whose leadership seem determined to divide rather than unite and to appeal to the lowest common denominator in the name of political gain. How rare a message it is when Havel proclaims that "it makes sense to behave decently or to help others, to place common interests above their own, to respect the elementary rules of human coexistence."

The common interests to which Havel refers are rooted in education, culture, and a strong market economy. He envisions an increasingly integrated European community where a united Czechoslovakia finds a role to play as its people reclaim a tradition of democratic governance and reliance on the rule of law rather than the whim of communist dictators. While a united Czechoslovakia did not survive the transition from Cold War to post-modern Europe, Havel's larger message is not diminished. He defines home as a series of concentric circles where a person (and nation) can reside simultaneously and compatibly in a number of different realms, recognizing the value in a complex national identity and history. As a long-time victim of an ideology that subverted individual rights, he proclaims the value of ideas and action based on moral standards even when those decisions come at the expense of one's personal comfort or popularity. Ultimately, his message is one of hope, a belief that leaders determined to act can effect lasting change, and that a good and humane state can, in fact, yield a society of the same character.

Since the book is entirely in Havel's voice, one wonders how time and hindsight have altered the Czech people's view of someone who, from an outside perspective, seems to offer a positive vision for the modern world. Despite this caveat, the book is a quick read and revealing glimpse into the way that one man used his position of leadership to challenge people making a difficult and historic transition.

[Tomislav · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enormous respect for Václav Havel, for the role he played during the cultural and economic transformation of Czechoslovakia, and also for the humane political values which he espoused before and during that time. In many ways, he is personally responsible for the differences between how Czechoslovakia broke up, and how Yugoslavia broke up.

This book was written in 1991 while he served as the somewhat reluctant first post-communist president of Czechoslovakia, and before its break-up into the two nations of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, approximately 20-25 years ago. The book is written to a Czech and Slovak audience of precisely that time, and largely concerns the internal political issues of his country.

Reading now, from far away, it is necessary to interpret between the lines, with some prior knowledge of the history, in order to distill the values he was applying. Ironically, those underlying values are best expressed in a section called "Epilogue". I see the common thread of his lifelong activism and later his governance to be an opposition to all ideological politics, rather following a humanist engagement with pragmatism.

It is a bittersweet memory now to revisit the optimism with which he foresaw a future for humanity, where the former communist states would be drawn into the western fold, and all the world would be organized by complementary values of mutual respect and culture. I read this book while the events of the 2015 terrorist attack in Paris were unfolding. The fault lines of humanity are different now, but they are not gone.

In spite of the strength of my resonance with his values, it is work in this book to mine out what they actually were, and then work again to consider how they apply in today's world. Worthwhile work, but I think it would be more useful to read something that directly applies the same philosophies today.

[Jeremy Hodges · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summer Meditations was an enjoyable read that depicts the way a moral leader transitions an economy from a state dominated authoritarian one to a capitalist market economy. Havel is successful but with some limitations. Havel paints Czechoslovakia as a broken country negatively influenced by Communism and ripe for positive change. While arguing for the beauty of nationality and countries he, at the same time, attempts to keep Slovakia and Czechia united. In this he fails. Czechoslovakia ultimately separates into two different yet similar countries.

Havel strongly contrasts with Machiavelli. Unlike Machiavelli who argues the ends justifies the means Havel celebrates morality and the consequences of positive action. In Havel's view positive means create good ends. In a generation of 24/7 news, scandals, and House of Cards Havel offers a breath of fresh air for politics. Maybe the good guys can win. Maybe all we have to do is the right thing. Instead of voting for the lesser of evils.

While a profoundly positive book we must remember that this is a text where we learn about Havel from Havel. I strongly encourage anyone who reads this book to trust but verify the source. Seek outside information in order to find the truth. Havel is a politician and when he wrote this book he was running for reelection.

Ultimately this text is a good representation of a country undergoing the democratic transition after the collapse of the USSR. It offers a form of positive politics. Politics where everyone gains and no one loses. While this might sound like a fairy tale this is one that Havel successfully sells. You leave this book believing in it and him.

[Kelsie Mariam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though Havel wrote this book about (then) Czechoslovakia in 1991, so much of the text resonated with me as an American in 2018. I have to admit my ignorance when it comes to the Czech Republic's political history, and I am sure a stronger understanding would have helped me better appreciate Havel's meditations. Still, these are clearly the words of a thoughtful leader during an interesting time of transition.

As a teacher, I especially appreciated Havel's take on the importance of public schooling. Havel explains, " At all levels, schools must cultivate a spirit of free and independent thinking in the students. Schools will have to be humanized, both in the sense of their basic component must be the human personalities of the teachers, creating around themselves a 'forcefield' of inspiration and example, and in the sense that technical and other specialized education will be balanced by a general education in the humanities."

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readability 6. Rating 8. Borrowed from Patty Moncada. A collection of five essays by the former President of Czechoslovakia (and current President of the Czech Republic?). He discusses the dynamics and character of politics and state building from a refreshingly untainted - though perhaps somewhat naive - viewpoint. He is a dreamer, but unlike most dreamers, he actually tarries with the details and does his best to be undaunted by them. He discriminates between the difficult and the impossible, and states clearly that the country and world he dreams of are quite possible, but that they demand an effort - based on considerateness, morality, and responsibility - from everyone. It almost makes me want to take a path of actually contributing something beyond the average to the world. Who knows?

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Primer to Ethical Politics, all over the world and at home, this book should be read (it's first chapter at least) by those who want to be leaders or in politics. For the way it describes the the political machine in human terms, and the fact that he wrote this book while president of a country, about the country, most of it can't be limited to just Czechoslovakia. However there are other books written around this phenomena of a playwright politician, so this may not be the absolutely best book on Vaclav Havel. I don't know.

[Andrés · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent book, but it lacks the power of Disturbing the Peace. More than a guide to living in truth, this book serves as a chronicle of the first years after the Velvet Revolution in the Czech Republic. Thus, like most memoirs it tends to skirt Havel's most personal thoughts. Notwithstanding this fault, the book does a fair job of defending democracy and the free market, as well as illumining the challenges facing Eastern Europe.

[Frank R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hold Havel in high esteem--the closest thing in our modern age to one of the American Founding Fathers, endowed with good sense, intellect, principle, and love of country.

This book is a collection of his thoughts on the path for the Czechoslovakian nation in the early 90s. Much of what he predicted and hoped for has come to pass, but the real value of this book is in its expression of timeless wisdom about political principles and human nature.

[George Zarubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insights into Havel's thinking... Not sure I agree with his thoughts that a state can be based on ideas, not ideology, but I like his reference about working for a 'higher responsibility' in one's life! Good book!

[Darcie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If only more world leaders were as passionate and dedicated as Havel.

[Sarah]

I read this to fulfill a summer reading bingo box (book with summer in the title), but oh wow was it interesting to read in 2019 in the U.S. with our political climate.

[Sawdah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book from the library after seeing the authors' name mentioned in Barack Obama's 'The Promised Land' and a recent New York Times article.

Vaclav Havel is the politician I imagine every new politician sets out to be. Following the fall of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia in 1989, Vaclav Havel finds himself, somewhat reluctantly, in the role of president. He is immediately faced with the challenging ask of transitioning an already divided republic (Czech & Slovak) from totalitarianism to democracy.

He self-diagnoses himself as a dreamer who places morality and civility as the bedrock of any kind of political work. But it's clear from reading him that he doesn't believe it's a dream. If we can overthrow Communism, he surmises, why can't we do the same to immoral politics?

He vigorously opposes attempts to classify himself into any ideology, a position that deeply resonates with me. He emphasizes independent thinking and truth seeking - an oft repeated mantra of the right and the left nowadays but applied so selectively that it has lost its meaning.

This book is written in 1991 so it's interesting, if not demoralizing, to see the same themes of political struggles repeat themselves today. He goes on to share his vision of a future Czechoslovakia where he presciently envisions a unification of Europe which he hopes for his country to be part of. He considers the plight of the Slovaks with sympathy and understands the "the aversion to be governed from somewhere else" but asserts that a united Czechoslovakia is ultimately the right path for the two societies.

A particular line in his book, following a proposal on reforming voting laws struck me as particularly relevant as we struggle to put the Trump era behind us "it is unlikely that a questionable character could delude a whole electoral district". I am glad he wasn't alive to see the past 4 years.

Vaclav Havel saw it as his duty to serve his country. Where he differs from many other politicians is his refusal to cave into party politics and pigeonhole himself into a prescribed ideology. This book is a must read for anyone considering going into politics and one that current politicians should consider reading.

[Craig Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country known as Czechoslovakia became an independent nation after their "Velvet Revolution".
The first democratically elected president of the nation was Václav Havel, a playwright and political dissident during the closing days of the Soviet bloc. Havel then became the president of the Czech Republic (Czechia) after the peaceful parturition of the Czechoslovakian political federation.
This small volume written by Havel is stated as being composed during a short holiday within his time as the president of Czechoslovakia. I found that there were many passages steeped in learned thought, compassionate discourse, and educated views.
I think it was Timothy Snyder's book "On Freedom", which I read a few months ago, that I encountered statements about Havel, and when I found "Summer Meditations" while perusing the stacks at the local university's library I took a chance and checked it out.
I was not disappointed.
"Our great, specific experience of recent times is the collapse of an ideology. We have all lived through its tortured and complicated vagaries, and we have gone through i, as it were, to the bitter end. This experience has, to an extraordinary degree, strengthened my ancient skepticism toward all ideologies. I think that the world of ideologies and doctrines is on the way out for good - along with the entire modern age. We are on the threshold of an era of globality, an era of open society, an era in which ideologies will be replaced by ideas." pp.127-128

[Alex]

This book was an engaging read, despite having aged a bit over the last two and a half decades. I would recommend skipping the second chapter unless you are terribly interested in the minutae of the Velvet Revolution. However, the final two chapters are a much needed voice in the age of amoral and cruel politics of the last decade. While contemporary politicians have weaponized fear and hate, and people are voting for politicians who serve only themselves, Havel talks about a politics of love and respect, from the people on the bottom to the people at the top. I find myself interested in what he has to say, while at the same time unable to accept some of the arguments he puts forward, because he has far more faith in man's inherent goodness than the last few decades would give us reason to believe in. This year, there are rolling protests in Prague because of the deep corruption that the current prime minister has displayed, and yet there is no sign that he is leaving. Does this mean that Havel was right, or Havel was wrong?

[Zachary Scipioni · Rating 5 out of 5]

The existentialist's described the Soviet project as weaving knots of ideology to form a net with which they could strangle all of Europe. As the first democratically elected president of Czechoslovakia after the fall of the Soviet Union, Vaclav Havel had an impossible task on his hands, the task of restoring norms of freedom and prosperity to a place that had been ravaged by organized crime, war and communist fanaticism.

Camus foresaw this task: "Throughout the coming years an endless struggle is going to be pursued between violence and friendly persuasion...and henceforth, the only honorable course will be to stake everything on a formidable gamble: that words are more powerful than munitions." In this short book of essays, Havel embodies Camus' aspirations; I only hope that his words are not lost on Americans as our leaders have been tying knots for some time now...

[Jannette Tacka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wednesday morning after Election Day. My media blackout book. Gave me a sense of peace and perspective during these crazy times. Hope to experience his plays soon. Dreamer and a moralist. Yes, please. Beautiful sentiments expressed effortlessly.