THE BEGGAR'S OPERA VA CLA V HAVEL Translaftreodmt heC zecbhy PAULW ILSON Witha nI ntroduction by PETERS TEINER TheC zecPhr esidVeanctl aHva vel, a forcoen behaloffi nternational human rights hainsdc ountry's mostc elebradtiesds idefinrts,t gained promiansae p nlcaeyw right. Durintgh ep eriowdh enH avewla s blacklibsytt ehdeC zechoslovakian governmenfto r hipso litical activipsrmo,d uctioofnh si sw ork ina nda rounPdr aguwee rer egard­ eda ss ubversaicvtes . The BeggaOrp'esri asa f ree-wheel­ ingh,i ghployl iticaidzaepdt atoifo n JohnG ay'wse ll-knoewing hteenth­ centuwroyr ko ft hes amen ame. The playr,e miniscoefnH ta vel's earliGear rdePna rtya nd The Memoranduimsu, p toh isb est satirsitcaanld aLridk.te h eB recht/ WeilTlh reepeOnpneyr Haa,v el's plauys esa nu nderwormlidl ietuo explotrheei ntermintghleemde osf love, loaynadtl rteya,c hery. PauWli lsonn'esw E nglitsrha nsla­ tioonf Th e BeggaOrp'esri asl ively, idiomataincds, e nsittiouv ned erly­ ingl inguiasntdip co litiicsaslu es. The Corneleld iticoonn taianns IntroducbtyiP oent eSrt eintehra t detaitlhseN ovembeIr, 1 975pr,e ­ mieroef t hep laiyn t heP raguseu b­ urbo fH orni Pocernicteh,er eac­ tioonf t heC zecshe crpeotl icaen,d them easures the government took to punisha nd discredtihto se involvientd h ep roductiEolne.v en photographst-hoefp laywright, thea ctorthse,t heatarned,t hea ctu­ alp erformance-enhtahnetc eex ­ turoef t heb ook. Froncto vearn db acflka pp hotos: © BohdaHno lomic1e9k,7 5. Jackdeets igLno:uR obinson TheB eggarO'pse ra �Bgegar'Osp era VACLAVH AVEL TRANSLATED FROM THE CZECH BY PAUL WILSON INTRODUCTION BY PETER STEINER CORNELL UNIVERSIIT PRESS Ithacaan dL ondon Translcaotpiyorn©i 2g0h0tP1 a ulW ilson Thiesd itcioopny t©i 2g0h0tb1 yC orneUlnli versity Alrli grhetsse rEvxecdef.opr b tr iqeufo tatiinaro envsi tehwbi,os o okrp, a rttsh er,e of musnto bte reprionad nufycor emdw ithpoeurmti ssiinwo rni tfiornmtg h peu blisher. Foirn ofrmataidodnr,Ce osrsn Uenlilv ePrrseisStsay,g H eo us5e1,E2 a sStt aStter eet, IthaNceawY, o r1k4 850. CautPiroeonsf:si oannaadlm sa teaurrhese rewbayrn etdh ThateB ggearO'pse breai,n g fullpyr oteucntdetedhr ce o pyrliagwohsftt h Uen itSetda otfAe mse rictahB,er itish Commonwecaolutnht irnicelsu,Cd ainnagad natd,h oet hceoru ntrioefts h Ceo pyright Unioinss,u bjteoacr to yaAlltrilyg .h tisn,c lupdrieonsfgs ioanmaalt,em uort,ip oinc ­ turree,c itpautbilroienca, d riandgti,eo l,e vainscdia obnl e broaandtdch ariesg thiotnfsg , translianttfroioe oinlg ann guaagrseets r.ir cetsleyrvA endyi. n quriergya rtdhiaenv ga il­ abiolfip teoyrr fmanrcieg hotrts h,pe u rchoafis ned ivciodpuioaeflts ha eu thoraiczte­d inegd itmiuosnbet, d iretcotS eadm uFerle nIcnhc4 .5W, e s2t5S treeNte,wY orNke,w Yor1k0 01w0i,t h lootchaetrii nHo onlsl ywoCoadlo,irn fiaan,Td o ronto, Canada. Firpsutb li2s0h0eb1dyC ornUenlilv ePrrseistsy Prinitnte hdUe n itSetda otfeA sm erica LibroafCr oyn grCeastsa loging-iDna-tPau blication HaveVla,c lav [lebroapceEkrnaag .l ish! Theb eggaorp'efsrb ayV aclHaavv; et lransflraottmeh Cdez ecbhyP auWli ls;o n introdbuycP teitSoetnre iner. p.e m. BasoendT: h eB eggaorp'ebsry aJ ohGna y. ISBoN- 8oi4·(3c8l3:o3a t-lhpok a .p er) IW.i lsPoanu,Rl .( PaRuolb e1rt9)4,1 .I- IG.a yJ,o hn, 1685-B1e7g3g2a.or p'esrI aIT.Ii .t le. PG5039.Z1381.23A0 90 1 891.8'6254--<lc2I 00-011737 CorneUlnli vePrrseissttsyr itvoue sse environrmeesnptoanslsulipybp llaein edr s matertiota hlfuesl leesxtte pnots siinbt lhpeeu blisohfii tbnsog o kSsu.cm ha terials inclvuedgee tablleo-wb-aVsOeCda ,ni adnc kisd -pfarpeeterh saa rtre e cyctloetda,l ly chlorinoerp- afrrcteolemy,p oosfne odwn o ofidb erBso.o tkhsab te atrhl eo gooft he FSC( ForSetsetw arCdosuhnicupils )pe a per ftoramkf oreens tthsha atv e been inspeacntcdee drt iafisem de ettihnhegi ghsetsatn dfaorerdn svi ronmaennsdto acli al responsFiobfurilr itthiyen.rf m oartiovins,io tuw re bsaitt e wwwo.rncellpress.cornell.edu. Cloptrhi nting 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 I Contents LisotfI llustravitii ons IntroducbtyiP oent eSrt einixe r TheB eggaOrp'esr a r Illustrations 1.T heH ousoef C ultuirnHe o rnPio cernxivciei i 2.H avealr rivifnogtr h ep remiexriex 3-Theh alble fotrheep erformaxxn ce 4·R enaWtear neroavnadZ inKau sczinpsrkeap arfiontrgh se howxx i 5·H avealn dA ndreKjr ocbo nferrbienfgo trheep remiexxriei 6.H avejlu sbte fotrheec urtariins exxsix 7·A ndreKjr oabs L ockaintd JHarna beatsaP eachu3m3 8. JHarna beatsaP eachuamn d JKaan.S paasrF ilc4h3 9·T hea udienactte h eb rea4k5 IOA. tablveiavouan nstta agtfee trh ep la8y2 IIA.n dreKjr osbu pervistihnetg e arindgo wn oft hes et8 3 NotAleip: h otograaprbheys B ohdaHno lomiCeTkh.e wy ertea keantt he timoef t hep remiere perfoofThr meaB necggea r'sin t OhepH oeursoaef CultuHroer,n Pioc emicCez,e chosloovnaI kN ioav,e mbIe9r7 5·