Of all Europe's post-revolutionary leaders, Vaclav Havel has had the most extraordinary career. He opposed the Soviet-backed Czechoslovakian regime through writing rather than action, and spent the preceding years in and out of prison for his satire. He was the founder of the Charter '77 human rights movement, and was known in the West as as playwright. But when the government bowed out without a struggle, it was Havel who was ushered in by popular acclaim as the new President. Eighteen months later he is still President. Not only has he impressed his counterparts in other countries with his uncompromising stand on civil liberties and human integrity, he has also become more politically astute. This book provides an account of Vaclav Havel, concentrating on Havel as a political figure rather than as a writer. Michael Simmons is the author of The Unloved Country and Berlin: The Disposessed City.