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"But this is still not the main problem. The worst thing is that we live in a contaminated moral environment. We fell morally ill because we got used to saying something different from what we thought. We learned not to believe in anything, to ignore each other, to care only for ourselves. Concepts such as love, friendship, compassion, humility and forgiveness lost their
depth and dimension, and for many of us they came to represent only psychological pecularities, or to resemble long-lost greetings from the ancient times, a little ridiculous in the era of commuters and spaceships. ...When I talk about contaminated moral atmosphere, I am not talking just about the gentlemen who eat organic vegetables and do not look out of the planes windows, I am talking about all of us. We had all become used to the totalitarian system and accepted it as an unalterable fact of life, and thus we helped to perpetuate it. In other words, we are all-though naturally to differing extents-responsible for the operation of the totalitarian machinery. None of us is just its victim: we are all also its cocreators. (New Year's Address to the Nation, Prague, January 1, 1990)

"...we must accept this legacy as a sin we committed against ourselves. If we accept it as such, we will understand that it is up to us all, and up to us alone, to do something about it. We must not blame the previous rulers for everything, not only because it would be untrue but also because it could blunt the duty each of us faces today, that is, the obligation to act independently, freely,reasonably, and quickly. ...Freedom and democracy require participation and therefore responsible action from us all. (New Year's Address to the Nation, Prague, January 1, 1990)

"We agree that the basic prerequisite for a genuine friendship between our nations is truth, a truth that is always expressed, no matter how hard." (The Visit of German President Richard von
Weizacker, Prague)

"Interests of all kinds-personal, selfish, state, national, group, and if you like, company interests-still considerably outweigh genuinely common and global interests. We are still under the sway of the destructive and thoroughly vain belief that man is the pinnacle of creation, and not just a part of it, and that therefore everything is permitted to him. There are still many who say they are concerned not for themselves but for the cause, while they act demonstrably in their own interests
and not for the cause at all. We are destroying the planet that was entrusted to us. We still close our eyes to the growing social, ethnic, and cultural conflicts in the world. From time to time we say that the anonymous megamachinery we have created for ourselves no longer serves us but,rather, has enslaved us, yet we fail to do anything about it. In other words, we still don't know how to put morality ahead of politics, science and economics. We are still incapable of understanding that the only genuine core of all our actions-if they are to be moral-is responsibility. Responsibility to something higher than my family, my country, my firm, my success. Responsibility to the order of Being, where all our actions are indelibly recorded and where, and only where, they will be properly judged. The
interpreter or mediator between us and this higher authority is what is traditionally referred to as human conscience. If I subordinate my political behavior to this imperative, I can't go far wrong. If on the contrary, I am not guided by this voice, not even ten presidential schools with two thousand of the best political scientists in the world could help me. (A Joint Session of the U.S. Congress, Washington, D.C., February 21, 1990)

After reading "The Art of Impossible" I would also recommend the following writings:

Havel, Vaclav. Open Letters: Selected Writings 1965-1990. Translated by Paul Wilson. New York:Alfred A. Knopf, 1991.

Sire, James W. Václav Havel: the intellectual conscience of international politics: an introduction, appreciation, and critique. Downers Grove: IVP, 2001.

This is a rather optimistic book, and every person who aspires to making our world a better - and safer - place for everyone, should definitely read it. It does not, however, provide us with solutions, but this is not what this work was intended for in the first place. What it does is identify the areas of politics we ought to concentrate on. The passages in which he argues for an increased participation of "intellectuals" in politics is particularly enlightening.

A commendable collection of lectures and essays, beautifully translated, which offers us a glimpse of a truly admirable man.

Svevo strikes the perfect balance between the 19th century's skill at construction complete characters (well, at least the Russians and George Eliot) and the 20th century's desire to focus intensely on processes of thinking, to lay bare the way they function. What Joyce did by actually splitting up and writing Bloom's individual thoughts, Svevo accomplishes with sentences that have the precision and wit of a French aphorist, while retaining a level of compassion that can coexist with his irony.

I remember a passage in The Confessions of Zeno (I read the Zoete translation on that one too) where, after a hilarious sequence when Zeno ends up marrying a woman that he has no interest in marrying, he comes to realize - many years later - just how much he's come to love her. Svevo is, I think, the most warm-hearted of great 20th century writers, even though all of his books are supposed to be merciless unmaskings of ineffectual men.

As much as I loved The Confessions (or Conscience) of Zeno, this is the more complete work of art. The five linked stories in Zeno didn't really cohere (especially the last chapter), but this book is beautifully paced and constructed, the work of a young man who is already a master - funny and sad and wonderful. A book to treasure.

(Incidentally: I like Joyce's title, As a Man Grows Older, but it would have been nice to have Svevo's original title back - which was only abandoned because they didn't think anyone would buy a book called Senility - certainly very few people bought Senilita when it was in Italian. And people were, understandably, confused, since there's no one in this book who is old, or any discussion in it of aging or senility.

But the whole book is filled with an atmosphere of last things: it is also about virility, and the lack of it, and the desire to both have and get away from the mental clarity that comes with intelligence. Senility: a great writer knows how to come up with a great title. But this is still a lovely book in a beautiful edition: another wonderful reissue from NYRB.)

Essentially, the problem with translating Italo Svevo's work (if it is a problem) is that it was already been translated once from Austrian German thoughts (Svevo was born Hector Schmitz in Trieste, an Austro-Hungarian port city) into Italian. When you read Senilità (or its forerunner, Una vita - which is painful to read) you get an idea of how hypercorrect Svevo's writing was. This was not by accident, but rather through his desire to write perfectly in Italian. While this makes it an exceptionally easy read in Italian, if you translated it too closely, it would read more like Hemingway than anything else. In translations, I like the de Zoete translation (Bantam Modern Classics) because it is a little more fluid.

On to the merits of the book, whatever the translation or title, it is a masterpiece of Italian decadentism. The protagonist, Emilio Brentani is the last member of a dying family who must find a way to keep it going. He is getting on in years (which I guess early in the 20th century was mid-30s) and this is his last opportunity to do it. The book traces his battle with Angiolina, who is more element of nature than human, and the story takes him through a vortice vitale (the vortex of his life) into old age.

He carries out this battle against the background of caring for his sick sister Amalia and taking lessons from his libertine friend and sculptor Stefano Balli as they walk along behind the dog catcher. The time frame is Carnevale, the period before la Quaresima (Lent). The basic story is of his farewell to meat (so to speak) before the long fast that concludes his life.

I think this book makes a great introduction to Svevo and the svevian concept of "inept" man, and it is more focused than La coscienza di Zeno. I give it the thumbs-up.

I really loved this book. I have to admit, my knowledge and understanding of WWII is not very strong. But I was really drawn into the stories of this family, and through them, the whole history of the war. I think every major aspect of the war was touched on in some way. I really rejoiced with the whole family when everyone was reunited. Even if you're not LDS, I think you would enjoy this series. But as a Mormon, it was a very enjoyable slice of history I was not that familiar with.

Really Great!!

In addition, the prayers at the end of each chapter reinforce our need to pursue our Heavenly Father for wisdom and strength to face all circumstances in life. I welcome this book as a way to spend fun quality time with your children or grandchildren.

PS... even more fun is seeing the old pictures of Julianne Moore and Meg Ryan, both major characters in the 80's...

The book is chock-full of pictures of cast members, and includes special sections on As The World Turns weddings, personal anecdotes from the actors, and features pieces on former ATWT actors who have achieved superstardom. A wonderful feature of the book is a complete cast list.

If you watch As The World Turns, you must add this book to your personal library.