From Publishers Weekly
Government officials have a moral responsibility to serve the people, according to this forthright personal testament from Havel, the playwright who is now president of the Czech Republic. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Havel, noted playwright, imprisoned dissident, and now president of Czechoslovakia, has written a concise, personal political testament that offers useful insights into his philosophy of leadership. Originally written in the summer of 1991, this translation includes some revisions and remarks as of February 1992. While Havel downplays his role in the transforming events of 1989 ("I became an instrument of the time. . . . History forged ahead and through me, guiding my activities " ), he sets forth a clear political agenda for Czechoslovakia and stresses the need to cultivate a "higher responsibility " of public service. He proposes reforms in the electoral process and a new federal constitution to help alleviate tensions between the Czechs and Slovaks. Havel is a reluctant yet determined ruler, and this modest manifesto admirably reflects his desire to fuse practical politics with morality and good taste. This is an important complement to Havel's previous political writings, collected as Open Letters ( LJ 6/15/91). Highly recommended for most libraries. Portions of this book appeared first in the New York Review of Books .--Ed.-Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, Pa.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
More pieces of Havel's lively, subtle mind. Last summer, the oft-imprisoned absurdist playwright who's become president of Czechoslovakia decided that he owed his fellow citizens a concise account of where he stands now that ``the era of enthusiasm, unity, mutual understanding, and dedication to a common cause is over.'' In setting down his thoughts, the author necessarily grapples with the nuts-and-bolts detail of parliamentary governance in a nation-state where Czechs and Slovaks are again able to pursue conflicting sociopolitical interests. He nonetheless addresses great issues of obvious concern and relevance to thoughtful citizens of democracies (and tyrannies) throughout the Global Village. At the outset, for example, Havel argues that bedrock moral standards (which can be imposed by neither a constitution nor law, let alone directives) are the essential foundations of a viable country. He goes on to insist that policies (foreign as well as domestic) must grow not from ideology but from ideas--notably, from a coherent concept of human rights. The author also reflects on the responsibilities of independence, the shock of freedom (for those who have been subjugated), and the fragile estate of civility, common decency, and kindred values in the conduct of public affairs. When it comes to outlining his own credo, Havel is appreciably more elusive. While refusing to be typecast as a man of either the left or right, however, he exhibits a sense of steely purpose in his resolve to set Czechoslovakia on the road to fruitful self-government. Worldly-wise pens‚es from an intellectual who's as comfortable and effective on the hustings as in an ivory tower. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review
"It is surely for the president of a modern country, while still in office, to offer the public so unsparing an expose of his political and personal philosophy. And what is even more striking still is the elevated quality, morally and intellectually, of the philosophy that emerges from this effort."

-- George F. Kennan, The New York Review of Books



"An eloquent reminder that moral struggles do not end with the overthrow of dictators." -- Christian Science Monitor

Translated from the Czech by Paul Wilson

Review
"It is surely for the president of a modern country, while still in office, to offer the public so unsparing an expose of his political and personal philosophy. And what is even more striking still is the elevated quality, morally and intellectually, of the philosophy that emerges from this effort."

-- George F. Kennan, The New York Review of Books



"An eloquent reminder that moral struggles do not end with the overthrow of dictators." -- Christian Science Monitor

Translated from the Czech by Paul Wilson

Book Description
It is surely for the president of a modern country, while still in office, to offer the public so unsparing an expose of his political and personal philosophy. And what is even more striking still is the elevated quality, morally and intellectually, of the philosophy that emerges from this effort."-- George F. Kennan, The New York Review of BooksIn 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."An eloquent reminder that moral struggles do not end with the overthrow of dictators." -- Christian Science MonitorTranslated from the Czech by Paul Wilson

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Czech

From the Inside Flap
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.

ANNOTATION

In a work written while he was president of Czechoslovakia, Havel offers profound reflections upon the nature and practice of politics throughout the world, and extends a stirring call for a moral political system, a responsible free market, and a statecraft that honors human needs.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In his first book as president of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, Vaclav Havel offers us a profound meditation on the nature and practice of politics and a stirring plea for morality, civility, and openness in public life in a time of overwhelming global change. From his unique perspective as both a head of state and a writer of great clarity and eloquence, Havel reflects on his experience in office, and on the questions that his own presence there brings so powerfully to mind: Is there a place for morality, and for simple decency, in politics? Have his ideals and principles--forged through two decades of courageous opposition to totalitarianism--a place in public life? His answer, put forth with remarkable candour, is unequivocally affirmative. He explores in this forthright book the practical problems facing his country today and openly examines the traumas of economic transition that have become central not only in Czechoslovakia but throughout the former Communist bloc. He grapples with the details of political change, and with the complex emotional issues of nationalism, separatism, and environmental devastation. He argues for a dynamic new market economy tempered by compassion, and for the central role of art and culture in transforming society. Writing with passion and energy, Havel reveals his dreams and his vision for a civil society of the future, stressing the essential goodwill in people, the responsibilities of those who lead them, and the need for tolerance. In the great seriousness of his commitment he demonstrates a moral and political consistency all too rare in public life. Summer Meditations is a timely and necessary book. Illuminated by Vaclav Havel's sincerity and directness, by his common sense and by his uncommon moral courage, it gives us an essential understanding of the problems and the promise in the post-Communist world.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In this first book since he became president of Czechoslovakia, Havel forthrightly states what he believes and what he wants for his country. He advocates a politics of decency, stressing that government officials have a moral responsibiity to serve the people. While he supports a market economy, he argues that market mechanisms alone cannot solve all problems, and instead envisages a mixed economy plus a higly decentralized political system with vigorous regional assemblies. Havel calls for a long-range energy strategy, urges strict environmental laws, encourages schools to foster free, independent thinking and strongly opposes the breakup of his nation into separate Czech and Slovak republics. He outlines an electoral system that would give more weight to the popular voice while de-emphasizing party politics. This informal personal testament offers a key to understanding the politics and promise of the post-Communist world. (June)

Library Journal

Havel, noted playwright, imprisoned dissident, and now president of Czechoslovakia, has written a concise, personal political testament that offers useful insights into his philosophy of leadership. Originally written in the summer of 1991, this translation includes some revisions and remarks as of February 1992. While Havel downplays his role in the transforming events of 1989 (``I became an instrument of the time. . . . History forged ahead and through me, guiding my activities '' ), he sets forth a clear political agenda for Czechoslovakia and stresses the need to cultivate a ``higher responsibility '' of public service. He proposes reforms in the electoral process and a new federal constitution to help alleviate tensions between the Czechs and Slovaks. Havel is a reluctant yet determined ruler, and this modest manifesto admirably reflects his desire to fuse practical politics with morality and good taste. This is an important complement to Havel's previous political writings, collected as Open Letters ( LJ 6/15/91). Highly recommended for most libraries. Portions of this book appeared first in the New York Review of Books .--Ed.--Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, Pa.

Kirkus Reviews

More pieces of Havel's lively, subtle mind. Last summer, the oft-imprisoned absurdist playwright who's become president of Czechoslovakia decided that he owed his fellow citizens a concise account of where he stands now that "the era of enthusiasm, unity, mutual understanding, and dedication to a common cause is over." In setting down his thoughts, the author necessarily grapples with the nuts-and-bolts detail of parliamentary governance in a nation-state where Czechs and Slovaks are again able to pursue conflicting sociopolitical interests. He nonetheless addresses great issues of obvious concern and relevance to thoughtful citizens of democracies (and tyrannies) throughout the Global Village. At the outset, for example, Havel argues that bedrock moral standards (which can be imposed by neither a constitution nor law, let alone directives) are the essential foundations of a viable country. He goes on to insist that policies (foreign as well as domestic) must grow not from ideology but from ideas—notably, from a coherent concept of human rights. The author also reflects on the responsibilities of independence, the shock of freedom (for those who have been subjugated), and the fragile estate of civility, common decency, and kindred values in the conduct of public affairs. When it comes to outlining his own credo, Havel is appreciably more elusive. While refusing to be typecast as a man of either the left or right, however, he exhibits a sense of steely purpose in his resolve to set Czechoslovakia on the road to fruitful self-government. Worldly-wise pens￯﾿ﾽes from an intellectual who's as comfortable and effective on the hustings as in an ivory tower.