Václav Havel (5 October 1936 – 18 December 2011) was a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissidentand politician. He was the ninth and last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic . He wrote more than 20 plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally. He was one of the signatories of the Charter 77 manifesto, a founding signatory.
