Valcav Havel

A powerful document, written in 1975, was to prove a catalyst in what went on to become known as the Velvet Revolution of 1989. In the form of an open letter, it demanded nothing less than "the moral and spiritual revival of society and the elevation of man to a higher degree of dignity". The recipient was the general secretary of the Czechoslovakian communist party; the sender, a dissident playwright, Vaclav Havel. A year later, Havel produced a second influential document, Charter 77, signed by 243 other prominent Czech intellectuals, united in their aim to achieve respect for human and civil rights, both abroad and at home.

Just what it was like, living under constant surveillance by the secret police, is starkly demonstrated in the 2006 film The Lives of Others, set in East Berlin. In neighbouring Czechoslovakia, the same fear and paranoia applied and Havel's brave defiance of the Soviet-controlled regime inevitably led to bouts of imprisonment. News was somehow leaked out to the free world of the jailing of the influential writer for five years after 1979. Among his supporters was Samuel Beckett, whose 1982 short play Catastrophe was dedicated to Havel.

One of the world's most famous political prisoners went on to become the hero of the bloodless 1989 revolution, and was immediately elected president of the newly liberated Czechoslovakia. But the role of political leader was one Havel accepted with a degree of ambivalence. Although he acknowledged that all good writing and good theatre is "always political", he added that, "I am not, have never been, and have not the slightest intention of becoming a politician. I am a writer." It's anyone's guess what his former communist oppressors made of reports that the newly elected, young-at-heart Havel whizzed through the historic corridors of the vast presidential Prague Castle on a child's scooter, and also made anarchic American rock musician Frank Zappa an honorary cultural ambassador.

The honeymoon period of his first presidency of post-communist Czechoslovakia was short-lived and inevitably, after independence came the split: Slovakian nationalists argued for, and won, their own separate status in 1993. His presidency, first of Czechoslovakia, then in two terms of the new Czech Republic, was dogged by political infighting, particularly with Vaclav Klaus – the current Czech president – against whom he is ideologically opposed. Czech citizens became further disillusioned with their hero after the death of his first wife in l996. The former Olga Splichalova had been a well-known political dissident in her own right. When Havel was imprisoned in 1979, his wife risked imprisonment by running the samizdat (dispatch) system – the passing of subversive documents to other dissidents urging non-violent protest. When she died of cancer, Havel married actress Dagmar Veskrnova less than a year later. Such haste drew criticism, along with the fact that the new Mrs Havel – who once appeared topless in a Czech vampire film – was obviously a far cry from the idealistic Olga. He became the subject of a number of smear campaigns, and in a recent interview still referred to the unpleasant discovery of "just how dirty high politics can get; how there are some people who enjoy poking each other in the ribs and telling stories about each other".

Fear and rumour had been part of his formative years growing up under communist rule. When Havel was born in 1936, his family had already been under the close scrutiny of the communist party due to their former middle-class, intellectual status. When he was 12, the family holdings were confiscated and his father was imprisoned. Havel was forbidden to attend state school. He took an apprenticeship as a laboratory assistant, cleaning test tubes by day, and attending classes by night. But he also began to write poetry and met with other like-minded radicals in a growing underground movement. The theatre was an obvious outlet for his politically-driven writing, and after initially working as a stagehand in Prague, Havel wrote the first of over 20 plays and also met Olga, then working as a theatre usher. By the time of the 'Prague Spring', his reputation as a writer was established well beyond the Iron Curtain.

The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968 , one of the most alarming incidents of the Cold War, led to the banning of Havel's increasingly daring work. But 21 years on, Prague dissidents were to take inspiration, and initiative, from the sensational collapse of the Berlin Wall in early November l989, and just one week later, reformist Alexander Dubcek and Havel joined forces in the massive demonstrations in Wenceslas Square that finally brought communist rule to an end. Havel's health suffered throughout his years of dissident activity and imprisonment, not helped by his chain smoking. In 1996, part of his lung was removed during cancer surgery, and as a result, he still struggles with his breathing.

But his idealistic principles haven't dimmed. The political poet and playwright continues to oppose authoritarian regimes which seek to restrict basic human rights. At last week's events in Brussels to mark the 20th anniversary of Czech liberation from communism, Havel also demonstrated that he is no follower of blatant capitalism either. He spoke of that need for solidarity to focus on core human values. And this is embodied in what he sees as Europe's greatest post-war achievement.

"I believe that the EU has a chance to inspire the rest of the world with something more profound than its model of international co-operation. I have in mind the shift away from the cult of profit at all costs, regardless of the long-term, irreversible consequences." The elevation of man to a higher level of dignity remains a driving principle for Europe's velvet champion.

Curriculum Vitae

Born: Former Czechoslovakia, October 1936, into a wealthy family linked to pre-communist cultural and political life

Education and career: Forbidden a formal education, Havel entered a four-year apprenticeship as a laboratory assistant; later permitted to study at Czech Technical University; completed military service (1957-59); studied drama by correspondence. Acclaimed plays include The Garden Party (1963); The Increased Difficulty of Concentration; The Memorandum (also performed in New York, 1968); Leaving (2007). Elected president of Czechoslovakia (1989); re-elected (1990); elected president of the Czech Republic (two terms, 1993-2003). Founder of Forum 2000. Visiting artist in residence at Columbia University (2006). Published memoir, To The Castle and Back (2007). Became a member of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (2008). Awards include Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award (2003)

Personal life: Married Olga Splichalova (1964-l996); Dagmar Veskrnova (1997-present)

In the news: His role in the Velvet Revolution was marked at 20th anniversary celebrations this week which included a vast public concert in Prague with Joan Baez among others, and a keynote speech at the EU in Brussels