No two persons were more qualified, both morally and politically, to explore together, in dialogues and letters, the daunting dilemmas of the post-Communist world than the protagonists of this enthralling book. Both Václav Havel and Adam Michnik were active in Central Europe's dissident counterculture during the Communist era, both shared the philosophical perspective of civic liberalism, and both noticed, as soon as the old system collapsed, that it was gradually replaced by virulently fundamentalist movements and illiberal demagogues. The main themes of this series of conversations are the legacies of Communism, the advent of various illiberal movements, and the challenges of coming to terms with the past. These challenges, the authors argue, are not only political and legal but also, first and foremost, moral.
No less important, the Polish journalist and historian and the Czech playwright, philosopher, and politician examine the nature of politics after the demise of Leninism, the...