The Absurd Vaclav Havel

The recently deceased Václav Havel — Czech writer, political dissident, and first president of the Czech Republic — wrote some very funny plays. Living through the dark times of communist Czechoslovakia, Havel was committed to keeping a sense of humor. Laughter, he felt, was not just an antidote to misery, an escape; it was a way to distance oneself from misery, if only to gain a little perspective. This is the function of satire. Satire asks us to reflect on meaning, to ask ourselves what is truly meaningful and what is not. What do we take seriously because it is serious, and what do we take seriously because we’ve stopped asking questions?