Protest: A Play

Author(s): Vaclav Havel and Vera Blackwell

Source: Performing Arts Journal, Vol. 12, No. 2/3 (1990), pp. 45-65
Published by: Performing Arts Journal, Inc
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3245553
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 Protest

VaclavHavel

studyin his houseon the outskirts

Stanek's ground-floor ofPrague.The
houseis surrounded a
by garden. Doorbell.Thefront dooris opened.
STANEK:(Loud,cordial.)Vanek!-Hello!

(Thefrontdooris closed.)
VANEK:(Noncommittal.) Hello,Mr. Stanek-
STANEK:Comein,comein! (Pause.Suddenoutburst ofemotion.)Vanek!
My dear fellow!
(Pause.Conversationally.) youhavetroublefinding
Did
it?
VANEK:Not really-
STANEK: Forgotto mentionthe flowering magnolias.That's how you
knowit's myhouse.Superb,aren'tthey?
VANEK:Yes-
STANEK:I managedto doubletheirblossomsin lessthanthreeyears,com-
paredto thepreviousowner.Have youmagnoliasin yourgarden?
VANEK:No-
STANEK:You musthavethem!I'm goingto findyoutwoqualitysaplings
and I'll come and plantthemforyou personally.(Crossesto the bar.)
How aboutsomebrandy?
VANEK:I'd rathernot,Mr. Stanek,ifyoudon'tmind-
STANEK:Comeon, Vanek!Justa tokenone. Eh?

@ 1978 Copyright byVaclav Havel; Translation@ 1984 CopyrightbyVera Blackwell.

CAUTION: No performances or readingsof thisworkmaybe givenwithoutthe express
oftheauthoror theauthor'sagent.For production
authorization rights,contact:SanfordJ.
GreenburgerAssociates,825 ThirdAvenue,New York,N.Y. 10022.

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(Two drinksarepoured.)
VANEK:(Sighs.)
STANEK:Here we are.Well-here's to our reunion!
VANEK:Cheers-

(Bothdrink.)
VANEK:(Shudders Emitsa softgroan.)
slightly.
STANEK:I was afraidyouweren'tgoingto come.
VANEK: Why?
STANEK:Well,I mean,thingsgotmixedup in an oddsortofway-What?
-Won't yousitdown?
VANEK:(Sitsdowninan armchair, placinghisbriefcaseon thefloorbeside
him.) Thanks-
STANEK:(Sinksintoan armchair oppositeVanekwitha sigh.)That's more
likeit! Peanuts?
VANEK:No, thanks-
STANEK:(Helps himselfMunching)You haven'tchangedmuch in all
theseyears,youknow?
VANEK:Neitherhaveyou-
STANEK:Me? Comeon! Gettingon forfifty, goinggray,achesandpains
setting in-Not as we used to be,eh? And the presenttimesdon'tmake
onefeelanybetter what?
either, When didwe see eachotherlast,actual-
ly?
VANEK:I don'tknow-
STANEK:Wasn'tit at yourlastopeningnight?
VANEK:Couldbe-
STANEK:Seemslikeanotherage! We had a bitofan argument-
VANEK:Did we?
STANEK:You tookme to taskformy illusionsand my over-optimism.
Good Lord!How oftensincethenI've had to admitto myself youwere
right!Ofcourse,in thosedaysI stillbelievedthatin spiteofeverything
someoftheidealsofmyyouthcouldbesalvagedandI tookyouforan in-
corrigiblepessimist.
VANEK:But I'm nota pessimist-
STANEK:You see, everything's turnedaround!(Shortpause.) Are you-
alone?
VANEK:How do youmean,alone?
STANEK:Well,isn'ttheresomebody-youknow-
VANEK:Followingme?
STANEK:Not thatI care!Afterall, it was me whorangyouup, right?
VANEK:I haven'tnoticedanybody-

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STANEK:By theway,supposeyou wantto shakethemoffone of these
days,youknowthebestplaceto do it?
VANEK:No-
STANEK: A department store.You minglewiththe crowd,thenat a
momentwhentheyaren'tlookingyousneakintotheloo andwaitthere
forabouttwohours.Theybecomeconvincedyou managedto slipout
through a sideentranceand theygiveup. You musttryit sometime!
VANEK:(Pause.)Seemsverypeacefulhere-
STANEK:That's whywe movedhere.It was simplyimpossible to go on
writingnear thatrailwaystation!We've been here threeyears,you
know.Of course,mygreatest joy is thegarden.I'll showyou around
later-I'm afraidI'm goingto boasta little-
VANEK:You do thegardening yourself?
STANEK:It's becomemygreatestprivatepassionthesedays.Keep put-
teringabouttherealmosteveryday.JustnowI've beenrejuvenating the
apricots.Developedmy own method,you see, based on a mixture of
naturalandartificial
fertilizers a
plus specialway ofwaxless You
grafting.
won'tbelievetheresultsI get!I'll findsomecuttings foryoulateron-
(Opensa largesilverboxoncoffee tablebetween them.)Wouldyoulikea
cigarette?
VANEK:Thanks-

(Clickingoflighter.)
VANEK:(Exhales.)
STANEK:(Sipshisbrandy.) tellme- How are you?
Wellnow,Ferdinand,
VANEK:All right,thanks-
STANEK:Do theyleaveyoualone-at leastnowand then?
VANEK:It depends-
STANEK:(Shortpause.) And howwas it in there?
VANEK:Where?
STANEK:Can oursortbearit at all?
VANEK:You meanprison?Whatelse can one do?
STANEK:As faras I can recallyou used to be botheredbyhemorrhoids.
Must havebeenterrible, the
considering hygienein there.
VANEK:Theygaveme suppositories-
STANEK:You oughtto havethemoperatedon, youknow.It so happensa
friendof mine is our greatesthemorrhoids specialist.Works real
miracles.I'll arrangeit foryou.
VANEK:Thanks-
STANEK:(Shortpause.) You know,sometimesit seemslike a beautiful
dream-all the excitingopening nights,private views, lectures,

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 meetings-theendlessdiscussionsabout literature and art! All the
the
energy, hopes,plans,activities, ideas-the wine-bars crowdedwith
friends, the wild the
booze-ups, madcapaffrays in the small hours,the
jollygirlsdancingattendance on us! And themountainsof workwe
managedto getdone,regardless!--That's all overnow.It'll nevercome
back! (Pause. Theybothdrink.)
STANEK:Did theybeatyou?
VANEK:No-
STANEK:Do theybeatpeopleup there?
VANEK:Sometimes. But notthepoliticals-
STANEK:I thoughtaboutyoua greatdeal!
VANEK:Thankyou-
STANEK:(Shortpause.) I betin thosedaysit neveroccurredto you-
VANEK:What?
STANEK:How it'll all end up! I betnotevenyouhad guessedthat!
VANEK:Mmnn-
STANEK: It's disgusting, old boy, disgusting!The nationis governed
by scum! And the people?Can thisreallybe thesamenationwhichnot
verylongago behaved so magnificently? All thathorriblecringing,bow-
ing and scraping! The selfishness, corruptionand fear wherever you
turn!GoodLord!Whathavetheymadeofus,oldboy?Can thisreallybe
us? Is thisstillourselvesat all?
VANEK:I don'tbelievethingsare as blackas all that-
STANEK:Forgiveme,Ferdinand, butyoudon'thappento livein a normal
environment. All you knoware peoplewho manageto resistthisrot.
You just keepon supporting and encouraging each other.You've no
ideathesortofenvironment I've gotto putup with!Makesyousickto
yourstomach!
VANEK:You meantelevision?
STANEK:In television, in thefilmstudios-younameit.
VANEK:There was a piecebyyouon thebox theotherday-
STANEK: You can't imaginewhatan ordealthatwas! Firsttheykept
blocking itforovera year,thentheystarted changing itaround-chang-
ed mywholeopeningand theentireclosingsequence!You wouldn't
believethetrifles theyfindobjectionable thesedays!Nothingbutsterili-
tyand intrigues,intrigues sterility! oftenI tellmyself-wrap
and How it
up,chum,forget it,go hide somewhere-grow apricots-
VANEK:I knowwhatyoumean-
STANEK:The thingis though,one can't helpwondering whetherone's
gottherighttothissortofescape.Supposing eventhe onemightbe
little
able to accomplishtodaycan, in spiteof everything, help someonein

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 someway,at leastcan givehima bitofencouragement, hima lit-
uplift
tle-Let me bringyoua pairofslippers.
VANEK:Slippers?Why?
STANEK:You can't be comfortablein thoseboots.
VANEK:I'm all right-
STANEK:Are yousure?
VANEK:Yes. Really-

(Theybothdrink.)
STANEK:(Pause.)How aboutdrugs?Did theygiveyouany?
VANEK:No-
STANEK:No dubiousinjections?
VANEK:Onlysomevitaminones-
STANEK:I betthere'ssomefunnystuff in thefood!
VANEK:Justbromineagainstsex-
STANEK:But surelytheytriedto breakyoudownsomehow!
VANEK:Well-
STANEK:Ifyou'd rathernottalkaboutit,it's all rightwithme.
VANEK: Well, in a way,that'sthe wholepointof the pre-trial interro-
gations, isn't it? To takeone down a peg or two-
STANEK:And to makeone talk!
VANEK:Mmnn-
STANEK:Iftheyshouldhaulme in forquestioning-which sooneror later
is boundto happen-youknowwhatI'm goingto do?
VANEK:What?
STANEK:Simplynotansweranyoftheirquestions!Refuseto talkto them
at all! That's byfarthebestway.Leastonecan be quitesureone didn't
sayanything one oughtnotto havesaid!
VANEK:Mmnn-
STANEK:Anyway,youmusthavesteelnervesto be ableto bearit all and
in additionkeepdoingthethingsyoudo.
VANEK:Likewhat?
STANEK:Well,I meanall theprotests, petitions,letters-thewholefight
forhumanrights!I meanthethingsyouand yourfriends keepdoing-
VANEK:I'm notdoingso much-
STANEK:Now don'tbe toomodest,Ferdinand! I followeverythingthat's
goingon! I know!Ifeverybody didwhatyoudo thesituation wouldbe
quitedifferent! And that'sa fact.It's extremely importantthereshould
beat leasta fewpeopleherewhoaren'tafraid tospeakthetruthaloud,to
defendothers,to call a spade a spade! WhatI'm goingto say might
sounda bitsolemnperhaps,butfrankly, thewayI see it,youand your

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 friendshavetakenon an almostsuperhuman andcarry
task:to preserve
the remains,the remnantof moralconsciencethroughthe present
quagmire! The thread you're spinningmay be thin, but-who
knows-perhapsthehopeofa moralrebirth ofthenationhangson it.
VANEK:You exaggerate-
STANEK:Well,that'showI see it,anyway.
VANEK:Surelyourhopeliesin all thedecentpeople-
STANEK:But howmanyare therestillaround?How many?
VANEK:Enough-
STANEK:Are there?Evenso, it's youandyourfriends whoare themost
exposed to view.
VANEK:And isn'tthatprecisely whatmakesit easierforus?
STANEK:I wouldn'tsay so. The moreyou'reexposed,themorerespon-
youhavetowardsall thosewhoknowaboutyou,trustyou,rely
sibility
on youand lookup to you,becauseto someextentyoukeepupholding
theirhonor,too! (Getsup.) I'll getthoseslippers!
VANEK:Pleasedon'tbother-
STANEK:I insist.I feeluncomfortable justlookingat yourboots.
withslippers.)
(Pause.Stanekreturns
VANEK:(Sighs.)
STANEK:Hereyouare.Do takethoseuglythingsoff,I begyou.Letme-
(Triesto takeoffVanek'sboots.)Won't youletme- Hold still-
VANEK: (Embarrassed.) No-please don't-no-I'll do it- (Struggles
outofhisboots,putsonslippers.) There-Nice, aren'tthey?Thankyou
very much.
STANEK:Good gracious,Ferdinand, whatfor?- (HoveringoverVanek.)
Somemorebrandy?
VANEK:No moreforme,thanks-
STANEK:Oh, comeon. Give me yourglass!
VANEK:I'm sorry,I'm notfeelingtoo well-
STANEK:Lostthehabitinside,is thatit?
VANEK:Couldbe-But thepointis-last night,yousee-
STANEK:Ah, that'swhatit is. Had a droptoo many,eh?
VANEK:Mmnn-
STANEK:I understand. (Returnsto hischair.)By theway,you knowthe
newwine-bar, "The ShaggyDog"?
VANEK:No-
STANEK:You don't?Listen,thewinetherecomesstraight fromthecask,
it's not expensiveand usuallyit isn't crowded.Reallycharmingspot,
you know,thanksto a handfuloffairly goodartistswho werepermit-

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 ted-believe it or not-to do the interiordecoration.I can warmly
recommend it to you.Lovelyplace.Wheredidyougo, then?
VANEK:Well,we dida littlepubcrawling, myfriend Landovsky and I-
STANEK:Oh, I see! You werewithLandovsky, wereyou? Well! In that
youcameto a stickyend! He's a first
case,I'm notat all surprised class
actor,butonce he startsdrinking-that's it! Surelyyou can takeone
morebrandy!Right?
VANEK:(Sighs.)

(Drinkspoured.Theybothdrink.)
VANEK:(Shudders, emitsa softgroan.)
STANEK: (Back in his armchair.Shortpause.) Well, how are things
otherwise?You do anywriting?
VANEK:Tryingto-
STANEK:A play?
VANEK:A one-actor-
STANEK:Anotherautobiographical one?
VANEK:More or less-
STANEK:My wifeand I readone aboutthe brewery the otherday. We
thoughtit was veryamusing.
VANEK:I'm glad-
STANEK:Unfortunately we weregivena ratherbadcopy.Somewhatilleg-
ible.
VANEK:I'm sorry-
STANEK:It's a reallybrilliantlittlepiece! I mean it! Only the ending
seemedto me a bitmuddy.The wholethingwantsto be broughtto a
morestraightforwardconclusion, that'sall. No problem.You can do it.

(Pause.Bothdrink.Vanekshudders.)
STANEK:Well,howare things?How aboutPavel?Do yousee him?
VANEK:Yes-
STANEK:Does he do anywriting?
VANEK:Justnow he's finishing a one-actor,as well.It's supposedto be
performed withmine-
together
STANEK:Waita minute.You don'tmeanto tellme youtwohaveteamed
up also as authors!
VANEK:More or less-
STANEK:Well,well!-Frankly,Ferdinand, tryas I may,I don't getit. I
don't. I simplycan't understandthisallianceofyours.Is it quitege-
nuineon yourpart?Is it?-Good heavens!Pavel! I don't know!Just
remember thewayhe started!We bothbelongto thesamegeneration,

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 PavelandI, we've both-so to speak-spanneda similararcofdevelop-
ment,butI don'tmindtellingyouthatwhatwe didinthosedays-Well!
It was a bittoostrongevenforme!-Still, I supposeit's yourbusiness.
You knowbestwhatyou'redoing.
VANEK:That's right-

(Pause.Bothdrink.)
STANEK:Is yourwifefondofgladioli?
VANEK:I don'tknow.I thinkso-
STANEK:You won'tfindmanyplaceswithsucha largeselectionas mine.
I've got thirty-two shades,whereasat a commonor gardennursery
be
you'll lucky to find six.Do youthinkyourwifewouldlikemetosend
hersomebulbs?
VANEK:I'm sureshe would-
STANEK:There'sstilltimetoplantthem,youknow.(Pause.)Ferdinand-
VANEK:Yes?
STANEK:Weren'tyousurprised whenI suddenlyrangyouup?
VANEK:A bit-
STANEK:I thought so. Afterall,I happento be amongthosewho'vestill
managed keeptheirheadsabovewaterand I quiteunderstand
to that
-because of this-you mightwant to keep a certaindistancefrom
me.
VANEK:No, notI-
STANEK:Perhapsnotyourself, butI realizethatsomeofyourfriendsbe-
lievethatanyonewho's stillgotsomechancetodayhas eitherabdicated
morally, or is unforgivably fooling himself.
VANEK:I don'tthinkso-
STANEK:I wouldn'tblameyouifyoudid,becauseI knowonlytoowellthe
grounds fromwhichsuchprejudice couldgrow.(An embarrassedpause.)
Ferdinand-
VANEK:Yes?
STANEK:I realizewhata highpriceyouhavetopayforwhatyou'redoing.
Butpleasedon'tthinkit's all thateasyfora manwho'seitherso lucky,
orso unfortunate bytheofficial
as to be stilltolerated andwho
apparatus,
-at thesametime-wishesto liveat peacewithhisconscience.
VANEK:I knowwhatyoumean-
STANEK:In somerespectsit maybe evenharderforhim.
VANEK:I understand.
STANEK:Naturally, I didn'tcall you in orderto justifymyself!I don't
reallythinkthere'sanyneed.I calledyou,becauseI likeyouandI'd be
sorrytosee yousharingtheprejudice whichI assumeexistsamongyour

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 friends.
VANEK:As faras I knownobodyhas eversaida bad wordaboutyou-
STANEK:Not evenPavel?
VANEK:No-
STANEK:(Embarrassed pause.) Ferdinand-
VANEK:Yes?
STANEK:Excuse me- (Gets up. Crossesto the tape recorder. Switches
it on. Soft,nondescript background musicunderthefollowing dialogue.
Stanekreturnsto his chair.)Ferdinand, does the nameJavurekmean
to
anything you?
VANEK:Our pop bard?I knowhimverywell-
STANEK:So I expectyouknowwhathappenedto him.
VANEK:Ofcourse.Theylockedhimup fortellinga storyduringoneofhis
performances. The storyaboutthecopperwhomeetsa penguinin the
street-
STANEK:Ridiculous, isn'tit? It was justan excuse,that'sall. The factis,
they hate his guts because he singsthewayhe does. Good Lord!The
wholethingis so cruel,so ludicrous, so base!
VANEK:And cowardly-
STANEK:Right!Andcowardly! Look,I've beentrying to do something for
thelad. I mean,I knowa fewchapsat thetowncouncilandat thepro-
secutor'soffice, butyouknowhow it is. Promises,promises!Theyall
say they'regoingto lookintoit, butthemomentyourbackis turned
theydropit like a hot potato,so theydon't get theirfingersburnt!
Sickening, thewayeverybody looksout fornumberone!
VANEK:Still,I thinkit's niceofyou to havetriedto do something-
STANEK:My dearFerdinand, I'm reallynotthesortofmanyourfriends
obviously take me for! Peanuts?
VANEK:No thanks-
STANEK:(Shortpause.) AboutJavurek-
VANEK:Yes?
STANEK:SinceI didn'tmanageto accomplishanything throughprivate
intervention, it occurredto me perhapsit oughtto be handledin a
somewhatdifferent way. You know what I mean. Simplywrite
something-aprotestor a petition?In fact,thisis the main thingI
wantedto discusswithyou.Naturally, you'refarmoreexperienced in
thesematters thanI. Ifthisdocumentcontainsa fewfairly well-known
signatures-likeyours, for example-it's bound to be published
somewhere abroadwhichmightcreatesomepoliticalpressure.Right?I
mean, thesethingsdon't seem to impressthemall thatmuch,ac-
tually-buthonestly, I don'tsee anyotherwayto helpthelad. Not to

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 mentionAnnie-
VANEK:Annie?
STANEK:My daughter.
VANEK:Oh? Is thatyourdaughter?
STANEK:That's right.
VANEK:Well,whatabouther?
STANEK:I thoughtyou knew.
VANEK:Knewwhat?
STANEK:She's expecting. By Javurek-
VANEK:Oh, I see. That's why-
STANEK:Wait a minute!If you mean thecase interests me merelybe-
cause offamily matters-
VANEK:I didn'tmeanthat-
SPANEK:But youjustsaid-
VANEK:I onlywantedto say,that'showyouknowaboutthecase at all;
you wereexplainingto me how you got to knowaboutit. Frankly, I
wouldn'thave expectedyou to be familiarwiththepresentpop scene.
I'm sorryifit soundedas thoughI meant-
STANEK:I'd getinvolvedin thiscase evenifitwassomeoneelseexpecting
his child.No matterwho-
VANEK:I know-
STANEK:(Embarrassed pause.)Well,whatdo you thinkaboutmyideaof
writing somesortofprotest?
VANEK:WheredidI leavemybriefcase?
STANEK:(Puzzled.)By yourchair-
VANEK:Oh, yes,ofcourse- (Openshisbriefcase, rummages inside,
finds
whathe was looking for,handsthedocumentto Stanek.)I guessthisis
thesortofthingyou hadin mind-
STANEK:What?
VANEK:Here-
STANEK:(Grabsthedocument.) Whatis it?
VANEK:Have a look-
STANEK:(Glancesat it.) Good Lord!(Readscarefully, clearlysurprised,
getting excited. Mumbles as he reads. Finishes his reading,
Well!Well,well!(Jumps
flabbergasted.) up.beginstopaceaboutinsome
agitation, the in
document his hand.) Now isn't it marvelous!
Marvelous!--That'sa laugh,isn't it? Eh?-Good Lord! Here I was
cudgeling mybrainshowtogo aboutit,finallyI taketheplungeandcon-
sultyou-and all thistimeyou'vehad thewholethingwrappedup and
ready!Isn't it marvelous?I knewI was doingtherightthingwhenI
turnedto you! No questionaboutit! (Sitsdown,glancesat thedocu-

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 ment,slamsit withhis hand.)There! PreciselywhatI had in mind!
Brief,to thepoint,fair,andyetemphatic. Manifestlytheworkofa pro-
fessional!I'd be sweating overitfora wholedayand I'd nevercomeup
withanything remotely likethis!
VANEK:(Mumblesin shyappreciation at thecompliment.)
STANEK: Listen,just a small point-here at the end-do you think
"wilfulness"is the rightwordto use? Couldn'tyou finda milder
synonym, perhaps?Somehowseemsa bitmisplaced, youknow.I mean,
thewholetextis composedin verymeasured,factualterms-andthis
wordhere suddenlysticksout, soundstoo emotional,wouldn'tyou
agree?Otherwise it's absolutely perfect. Maybethesecondparagraph is
somewhatsuperfluous, in factit's justa rehashofthefirstone. Except
forthatreference heretoJavurek's impacton nonconformist youth.Ex-
cellent!Welldone!This muststay.How aboutputting itat theendin-
steadofyour"wilfulness"?Wouldn'tthatdo thetrick ?-But theseare
justmypersonalimpressions. Good heavens!Why should youlistento
whatI haveto say! On thewholethetextis excellent andno doubtit's
goingto hitthemark.Letme sayagain,Ferdinand, howmuchI admire
for
you.Yourknack expressing the fundamental pointsofan issue,while
avoidingneedlessabuse,is indeedrarein theseparts!
VANEK:Comeon-you don'treallymeanthat-
STANEK:Greatpieceofwork!Thankyou forlettingme see it. Here-
(Hands thedocumentbackto Vanek.)You betterput it backin your
briefcase. (Drinks.Shortpause.) Anyway,it's good to knowthere's
somebody aroundwhomonecanalwaysturntoandrelyon ina case like
this.
VANEK:Good gracious,it's onlynatural,isn't it?
STANEK:It mayseemso to you. But in thecircleswhereI've to move
such thingsaren'tin theleastnatural!The naturalresponseis much
morelikelyto be the exactopposite.When a man getsintotrouble
everybody dropshimas soonas possible,thelotofthem.Andoutoffear
fortheirownpositions theytrytoconvinceall andsundrythey'venever
hadanything to do withhim;on thecontrary, theysizedhimup right
away,they wouldn't have evertouched him witha bargepole!Butwhy
am I tellingyouall this,youknowbestthesortofthingthathappens!
Right?Whenyouwerein prisonyourlong-time theatrepalsheldforth
againstyouon thebox.It was revolting!
VANEK:I'm notangrywiththem-
STANEK:But I am! And what's moreI toldthemso. In no uncertain
terms!You know,a manin mypositionlearnsto putup witha lot of
things,but-if you'llforgive me-therearelimits!I appreciate itmight

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 be awkwardforyou to blamethelads,as youhappento be theinjured
party.Butlistentome,oldboy.You've gottodistance yourselffromthe
that'sall! Justthink!Once we, too,beginto toleratethissortof
affair,
muck-we're de facto assumingco-responsibility forthe entiremoral
marasmusand indirectly contributing to its deeperpenetration. Am I
right?
VANEK:Mmnn-
STANEK:(Shortpause.) Have yousentit offyet?
VANEK:We're stillcollecting signatures-
STANEK:How manyhaveyougotso far?
VANEK:Aboutfifty-
STANEK:Fifty? Not bad!(Shortpause.)Well,nevermind,I've justmissed
theboat,that'sall.
VANEK:You haven't-
STANEK:But thething'salreadyin hand,isn't it?
VANEK:Yes, butit's stillopen-I mean-
STANEK:All right,butnowit's sureto be sentoffand published, right?
By the way,I wouldn'tgive it to any of the agencies,ifI wereyou.
They'll only printa measlylittlenews itemwhichis bound to be
overlooked.Betterhand it over directly to one of the big European
papers,so thewhole textgetspublished, including all thesignatures!
VANEK:I know-
STANEK:(Shortpause.) Do theyalreadyknowaboutit?
VANEK:You meanthepolice?
STANEK:Yes.
VANEK:I don'tthinkso. I supposenot-
STANEK:Lookhere,I don'twantto giveyouanyadvice,butit seemsto
me yououghtto wrapit up as soonas possible,else they'llgetwindof
what'sgoingon andthey'llfinda wayto stopit.Fifty signatures should
be enough!Besides,whatcountsis notthenumberofsignatures, but
theirsignificance.
VANEK:Each signature has itsownsignificance!
STANEK:Absolutely, butas faras publicity
abroadis concerned, itis essen-
tialthatsomewell-known namesarerepresented, right? Has Pavel sign-
ed?
VANEK:Yes-
STANEK:Good.His name-no matter whatone maythinkofhimperson-
ally-does meansomething in theworldtoday!
VANEK:No question-
STANEK:(Shortpause.) Listen,Ferdinand-
VANEK:Yes?

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STANEK:There's one morethingI wantedto discusswithyou.It's a bit
delicate,though-
VANEK:Oh?
STANEK:Look here,I'm no millionaire, you know,butso farI've been
able to manage-
VANEK:Good foryou-
STANEK:Well,I was thinking-Imean-I'd liketo-Look, a lot ofyour
friendshavelosttheirjobs. I was thinking-Would yoube prepared to
accept from me a certainsum ofmoney?
VANEK:That's veryniceofyou! Some ofmyfriends indeedfindthem-
selvesina bitofa spot.Butthereareproblems, you know. I mean,oneis
neverquitesurehowtogo aboutit.Thosewhomostneedhelpareoften
themostreluctant to accept-
STANEK:You won'tbe abletoworkmiracleswithwhatI can afford, butI
expectthereare situations whereeverypennycounts.(Takes out his
uallet,removestwo banknotes, adds a third,handsthemto
hesitates,
Vanek.)Here-please-a small offering.
VANEK:Thankyouverymuch.Let me thankyouforall myfriends-
STANEK:Gracious,we've gotto helpeach otherout,don'twe? Peanuts?
VANEK:Not forme-
STANEK:(HelpshimselfMunching.)Incidentally, there'sno needforyou
to mentionthislittlecontributioncomesfromme.I don'twishtoerecta
monument to myself. I'm sureyou'vegathered thatmuchbynow,eh?
VANEK:Yes. Againmanythanks-
STANEK:Wellnow,howabouthavinga lookat thegarden?
VANEK:Mr. Stanek-
STANEK:Yes?
VANEK:We'd liketo sendit offtomorrow-
STANEK:What?
VANEK:To protest-
STANEK:Excellent!The soonerthebetter!
VANEK:So thattodaythere'sstill-
STANEK:Today you shouldthinkaboutgettingsome sleep! That's the
mainthing!Don't forget you'vea bitofa hangover afterlastnightand
tomorrow is goingto be a harddayforyou!
VANEK:I know.All I was goingto say-
STANEK:Bettergo straight homeand unplugthephone.Else Landovsky
ringsyouup againand heavenknowshowyou'llend up!
VANEK:Yes, I know.There'reonlya fewsignatures I've stillgottocollect
-it won't takelong.All I was goingto say-I hopeyou'llagreewith
me-I mean,don'tyouthinkitwouldbe helpful-Asa matter offactit

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 would be sensational!Afterall, practicallyeverybody'sread your
Crash!
STANEK:Oh, comeon, Ferdinand! That was fifteenyearsago!
VANEK:But it's neverbeenforgotten!
STANEK:Whatdo youmean-sensational?
VANEK:I'm sorry,I had theimpression you'd actuallyliketo-
STANEK:What?
VANEK:Participate-
STANEK: Participate?Wait a minute. Are you talkingabout the
signatures?Is thatwhatyou'retalkingabout?
VANEK:Yes-
STANEK:You meanI should-
VANEK:I'm sorry,butI had theimpression-
STANEK:Good Lord!I'm goingto havesome morebrandy.How about
you?
VANEK:No, thanks-
STANEK:Suityourself-(Crossesto bar,pourshimself a brandy. Returns
to hischair.Drinks.Pause.) Now that'sa laugh,isn't it?
VANEK:What'sa laugh?
STANEK:Forheaven'ssake,can'tyousee howabsurditis? Eh? I askyou
overhopingyoumightwritesomething aboutJavurek's case,youcome
hereandproducea finished textandwhat'smore,onefurnished withfif-
tysignatures! I'm bowledoverlikea littlechild,can't believemyeyes
and ears, I worryabout ways to stop themfromruiningyourpro-
ject-and all thistimeit hasn'toccurredto me to do theone simple,
naturalthingwhichI shouldhavedoneinthefirst place!I mean,at once
sign thedocument myself!Well,you must admit it's absurd!
VANEK:Mmnn-
STANEK:Listen,Ferdinand, isn't thisa reallyterrifyingtestimony to the
situationintowhichwe've beenbrought?Isn't it? Justthink:evenI,
thoughI knowit's rubbish, evenI've gotusedto theideathatthesign-
ingofprotests is thebusinessoflocalspecialists,
professionalsin solidari-
ty,dissidents!Whiletherestofus-when we wantto do something for
the sake of ordinaryhumandecency-automatically turnto you, as
thoughyou werea sortofserviceestablishment formoralmatters.In
otherwords,we're heresimplyto keep our mouthsshutand to be
rewarded bytherelativepeaceand quiet,whereasyou'rehereto speak
for
up us andto be rewarded bykickson earthandgloryin theheavens!
Perverse,isn't it?
VANEK:Mmnn-
STANEK:Of courseit is! And they'vemanagedto bringthingsto sucha

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 pointthatevena fairly anddecent
intelligent fellow-which, withyour
permission,I still
think I am-is more orlessreadyto take thissituation
forgranted! As though itwasquitenormal, natural!
perfectly Sickening,
isn'tit?Sickening thedepths we'vereached! Whatdoyousay?Makes
onepuke,eh?
VANEK:Well-
STANEK:You think thenation caneverrecover fromall this?
VANEK:Hardtosay-
STANEK:Whatcanonedo?Whatcanonedo?Well,seemsclear,doesn't
it? In theory, thatis. Everybody shouldstartwithhimself. What?
However!Is thiscountry inhabited It
onlybyVaneks? reallydoesn't
seemthateverybody canbecomea fighter forhumanrights.
VANEK:Noteverybody, no-
STANEK:Whereis it?
VANEK:What?
STANEK:Thelistofsignatures, ofcourse.
VANEK:(Embarrassed pause.) Stanek-
Mr.
STANEK:Yes?
VANEK:Forgiveme, but-I'm sorry,I've suddenly a funny feeling
thatperhaps-
STANEK:Whatfunny feeling?
VANEK:I don'tknow-I feelveryembarrassed-Well, it seemsto me
perhaps I wasn'tbeingquitefair-
STANEK:In whatway?
VANEK:Well,whatI did-wasa bitofa contrick-ina way-
STANEK:Whatareyoutalking about?
VANEK:I mean,first I letyoutalk,andonlythenI askforyoursignature-
I mean,afteryou'realready sortofcommitted bywhatyou'vesaid
before,you see-
STANEK:Areyousuggesting thatifI'd knownyouwerecollecting sig-
natures forJavurek, I wouldneverhavestarted talkingabouthim?
VANEK:No that'snotwhatI mean-
STANEK:Well,whatdo youmean?
VANEK:HowshallI putit-
STANEK:Oh, comeon! You mindI didn'torganize
thewholething
is
myself, that
it?
VANEK:No, that'snotit-
STANEK:Whatis it then?
VANEK:Well,it seemsto me it would'vebeenquitea different
matter
ifI'd cometoyouright
awayandaskedforyoursignature.
Thatwayyou
would'vehadan option-

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STANEK:And whydidn'tyou come to me rightaway,actually?Was it
becauseyou'd simplywritten me offin advance?
VANEK:Well,I was thinking thatin yourposition-
STANEK:Ah! Thereyouare! You see? Now it's becoming clearwhatyou
reallythink ofme, isn'tit?You think thatbecause now and thenoneof
mypieceshappen to be shown on the box,I'm no longercapableofthe
simplest act of solidarity!
VANEK:You misunderstand me-What I meantwas-
STANEK: Let me tell you something, Ferdinand.(Drinks.Shortpause.)
Look here,ifI've-willy-nilly-gotusedto theperverse idea thatcom-
mon decency and moralityare the exclusive domain of the
dissidents-thenyou've-willy-nilly-gotused to the idea as well!
That's whyitnevercrossedyourmindthatcertainvaluesmightbemore
important tomethanmypresent position.ButsupposeevenI wantedto
be finallya freeman,supposeevenI wishedto renewmyinnerintegrity
andshakeofftheyokeofhumiliation andshame?It neverenteredyour
head thatI might'vebeen actuallywaitingforthisverymomentfor
years,what? You simplyplaced me once and forall among those
hopelesscases,amongthosewhomit wouldbe pointlessto counton in
anyway.Right?And nowthatyoufoundI'm notentirely indifferent
to
thefateofothers-youmadethatslipaboutmysignature! But yousaw
at oncewhathappened, andso youbegantoapologizetome.GoodGod!
Don't yourealizehowyouhumiliate me? Whatifall thistimeI'd been
hoping foran to
opportunityact, to do something thatwouldagainmake
a manofme,helpme to be oncemoreat peacewithmyself, helpme to
the of
findagain freeplay myimagination my and lostsense ofhumor,
ridmeoftheneedto escapemytraumasbyminding theapricots andthe
bloomingmagnolias!SupposeevenI preferto livein truth!WhatifI
wantto returnfromtheworldofcustom-made literature and theproto-
cultureoftheboxto theworldofartwhichisn'tgearedto serveanyone
at all?
VANEK:I'm sorry-forgive me! I didn'tmeanto hurtyourfeelings-Wait
a minute,I'll-Just a moment- (Rummagesin his briefcase, extracts
thelistofsignatures his
fromamong papers and hands it to Stanek.)Here
youare,Mr. Stanek-
STANEK:Whatis it? The signatures?
VANEK:Yes-
STANEK:Ah! Good. (Perusesthelist,mumbles,nods,getsup, beginsto
pace around.)Let me thinkaloud.May I?
VANEK:By all means-
STANEK:(Halts,drinks,beginsto pace againas he talks.)I believeI've

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alreadycoveredthemainpointsconcerning thesubjectiveside of the
matter. IfI signthedocument, I'm goingto regain-after yearsofbeing
continually sickat mystomach-myself-esteem, mylostfreedom, my
honor,andperhapsevensomeregardamongthoseclosetome. I'll leave
behindtheinsolubledilemmas, forcedon me bytheconflict betweenmy
concernformypositionand my conscience.I'll be able to facewith
equanimity Annie,myself, and eventhatlad whenhe comesback.It'll
costme myjob. Thoughmyjob bringsme no satisfaction-on thecon-
it me
trary, brings shame-nevertheless, it does support and my
me
a
familygreat dealbetterthan ifI were to become a nightwatchman. It's
morethanlikelythatmysonwon'tbe permitted tocontinuehisstudies.
On theotherhand,I'm surehe's goingtohavemorerespectforme that
way,thanifhispermission tostudywas boughtbymyrefusal tosignthe
protest forJavurek. He happensto worshipJavurek, as a matteroffact.
He's crazyabouthim! (Sighswithsome exasperation.) -Well then.
This is thesubjective sideofthematter.Now howabouttheobjective
side? Whathappenswhen-amongthesignatures ofa fewwell-known
dissidents and a handfulof Javurek'steenagefriends-there suddenly
cropsup-to everybody's surpriseand againstall expectation-my sig-
nature?The signature ofa manwhohasn'tbeenheardfromregarding
civic affairsforyears! Well? What? Let's thinkabout it. My co-
signatories-aswellas manyofthosewhodon'tsigndocuments ofthis
sort,but who nonethelessdeep down side withthosewho do-are
naturally goingto welcomemysignature withpleasure.The closedcir-
cle ofhabitualsigners-whosesignatures, bytheway,arealreadybegin-
ning to lose theirclout,because they cost practicallynothing.I mean,
thepeoplein questionhavelongsincelostall waysandmeansbywhich
theycouldactuallypayfortheirsignatures. Right?Well,thiscirclewill
be broken.A newnamewillappear,a namethevalueofwhichdepends
precisely on itspreviousabsence.And ofcourse,I mayadd,on thehigh
pricepaidforits appearance!So muchfortheobjective"plus" ofmy
prospective signature.Now whatabouttheauthorities? My signature is
to
going surprise, annoy and upset them for the very reasonswhich will
bringjoyto theothersignatories. I mean,becauseit'llmakea breachin
thebarrier theauthorities havebeenbuilding aroundyourlotforso long
andwithsucheffort. All right.Let's see aboutJavurek. Concerning his
I
case, very much doubt myparticipation would influence
significantly
theoutcome.And ifso, I'm afraidit's morethanlikelygoingto havea
negativeeffect. The authorities will be anxiousto provetheyhaven't
beenpanicked.They'll wantto showthata surpriseof thissortcan't
makethemlosetheircool.Whichbringsus to theconsideration ofwhat

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they'regoingto do to me.Surely,mysignature is boundtohavea much
more significant influenceon what happensin my case. No doubt,
they'regoingto punishme farmorecruellythanyou'd expect.The
pointbeingthatmypunishment willserveas a warning signaltoall who
mightbe tempted to followmyexamplein thefuture, choosefreedom,
andthusswelltheranksofthedissidents. You maybe surethey'llwant
toteachthema lesson!Showthemwhatthescoreis! Right?The thing
is-well, let's faceit-they'reno longerworriedall thatmuchabout
dissidentactivitieswithintheconfines oftheestablished ghetto.In some
respectstheyeven seem to prodthemon hereand there.But! What
they'rereallyafraid ofis anysemblance ofa crackinthefencearoundthe
ghetto!That's whatreallyscaresthem!So they'llwantto exorcisethe
bogeyofa prospective epidemicofdissentbyan exemplary punishment
ofmyself. They'll want to nip it in the bud, that's all. (Drinks.Pause.)
The lastquestionI've gotto ask myself is this:whatsortofreactionto
mysignature can one expectamongthosewho,in one wayor another,
have followedwhatyou mightcall "the pathof accommodation."I
meanpeoplewhoare,or oughtto be, ourmainconcern,because-I'm
sureyou'llagree-our hopeforthefuture dependsaboveall on whether
or not it will be possibleto awakenthemfromtheirslumbersand to
enlistthemto takean activepartin civicaffairs. This is whatreallymat-
ters,isn'tit? Well,I'm afraidthatmysignature is goingto be received
withabsoluteresentment by this crucial section ofthe populace.You
knowwhy?Because,as a matteroffact,thesepeoplesecretly hatethe
dissidents.They've become their bad conscience, their livingreproach!
That's how theysee thedissidents. And at thesame time,theyenvy
themtheirhonorandtheirinnerfreedom, valueswhichtheythemselves
weredeniedbyfate.Thisis whytheynevermissan opportunity tosmear
thedissidents. And precisely thisopportunity is goingto be offered to
thembymysignature. They'regoingto spreadnastyrumorsaboutyou
andyourfriends. They'regoingto say thatyouhavenothingmoreto
lose-you who have longsincelandedat thebottomoftheheapand,
what'smore,managedto makeyourselves quiteat homein there-are
nowtrying to dragdownto yourownlevelan unfortunate man,a man
who'sso farbeenableto stayabovethesaltline.You're dragging him
down-irresponsible as you are-withoutthe slightestcompunction,
justforyourownwhim,justbecauseyouwishto irritate theauthorities
bycreating a falseimpression thatyourranksarebeingswelled!Whatdo
youcareaboutlosinghimhis job! Doesn't matter, doesit? Or do you
meanto suggestyou'llfindhima job downin thedumpin whichyou
yourselves exist?What?No-Ferdinand! I'm sorry.I'm afraid,I'm

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muchtoofamiliar withthewaythesepeoplethink! After all,I've gotto
liveamongthem, in
day day out. I know what
precisely they're goingto
say.They'llsayI'm yourvictim, shamelessly abused,misguided, led
astraybyyourcynical appealtomyhumanity! They'llsaythatinyour
ruthlessness youdidn'tshrink evenfrommaking use ofmypersonal
relationshiptoJavurek! Andyouknowwhat?They'regoingtosaythat
allthehumane idealsyou'reconstantly proclaiminghavebeentarnished
byyour treatment of me. That's the sortofreasoning onecanexpect
from them!AndI'msureI don'thavetotellyouthattheauthorities are
boundtosupport thisinterpretation, andtofanthecoalsas hardas they
can! Thereareothers, ofcourse,somewhat moreintelligent perhaps.
Thesepeoplemight saythattheextraordinary appearance ofmysigna-
tureamongyoursis actually counter-productive, inthatitconcentrates
everybody's attention on mysignature andawayfrom themainissue
concerning Javurek. They'llsayitputsthewholeprotest injeopardy,
becauseonecan'thelpasking oneself whatwasthepurpose oftheexer-
cise: was it to helpJavurek, or to paradea new-born dissident? I
wouldn't be at allsurprised ifsomeone weretosaythat,as a matter of
fact,Javurek wasvictimized byyouandyourfriends. It might be sug-
his
gested personal tragedy only served you tofurther your ends-which
arefarremoved from thefateoftheunfortunate man.Furthermore, it'll
bepointed outthatbygetting mysignature youmanaged todislodge me
fromtheoneareaofoperation-namely, backstage diplomacy, private
intervention-where I've beenso farableto maneuver andwhereI
have
might proved more
infinitely helpful to Javurek in the end!I do
hopeyou understand me, Ferdinand. I don't wish toexaggerate theim-
portanceof these opinions, nor am I preparedto become their slave.On
theotherhand,itseemstobeintheinterests ofourcaseformetotake
themintoaccount. After all,it's a matter ofa politicaldecision anda
goodpolitician mustconsider alltheissueswhicharelikely toinfluence
theendresult ofhisaction. Right? In thesecircumstances thequestion
onemustresolve is as follows: whatdo I prefer? Do I prefer theinner
whichmysignature
liberation is goingto bringme,a liberation paid
for-asitnowturns a
out-by basically negativeobjectiveimpact-or do
I choosetheotheralternative. I mean,themorebeneficial effectwhich
theprotest wouldhavewithout mysignature, yetpaidforbymybitter
awareness thatI've again-whoknows,perhaps forthelasttime-
misseda chanceto shakeoffthebondsofshameful compromises in
whichI've beenchoking foryears? In other words,ifI'm toactindeed
ethically-and I hopeby now you'veno doubtI wantto do just
that-which courseshouldI take?ShouldI beguided byruthless objec-

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 innerfeelings?
or bysubjective
tiveconsiderations,
VANEK:Seemsperfectly to
clear me-
STANEK:And to me-
VANEK:So thatyou'regoingto-
STANEK:Unfortunately-
VANEK:Unfortunately?
STANEK:You thoughtI was-
VANEK:Forgiveme,perhapsI didn'tquiteunderstand-
STANEK:I'm sorryifI've-
VANEK:Nevermind-
STANEK:But I reallybelieve-
VANEK:I know-

(Stanekhands Vanekthe listof signatures,crossesto the tape recorder,

switchesit off,returns
to hischair,sitsdown.)
VANEK:(Putspapersbackin his briefcase.)

(Bothdrink.)
VANEK:(Shudders. Emitsa softgroan.)
STANEK:(Embarrassed pause.) Are youangry?
VANEK:No-
STANEK:You don'tagree,though-
VANEK:I respectyourreasoning-
STANEK:But whatdo youthink?
VANEK:WhatshouldI think?
STANEK:That's obvious,isn'tit?
VANEK:Is it?
STANEK:You thinkthatwhenI saw all thesignatures, I did,afterall,get
thewindup.
VANEK:I don't-
STANEK:I can see youdo!
VANEK:I assureyou-
STANEK:Why don't you levelwithme?! Don't you realizethatyour
benevolenthypocrisy thanifyougaveitto
is actuallyfarmoreinsulting
mestraight?!Or do youmeanI'm notevenworthy ofyourcomment?!
VANEK:But I toldyou,didn'tI, I respectyourreasoning-
STANEK:I'm notan idiot,Vanek!
VANEK:Of coursenot-
STANEK:I knowprecisely what'sbehindyour"respect"!
VANEK:Whatis?
STANEK:A feelingofmoralsuperiority!

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VANEK:You're wrong-
STANEK:Only,I'm not quitesure ifyou-you of all people-have any
rightto feelso superior!
VANEK:Whatdo youmean?
STANEK:You knowverywellwhatI mean!
VANEK:I don't-
STANEK:ShallI tellyou?
VANEK:Pleasedo-
STANEK:(Emphatic.)Well! As faras I know,in prisonyou talkedmore
thanyoushouldhave!
VANEK:(Gasps,jumpsup,wildlystaringat Stanek.)
STANEK:(Staresbackin triumph.) Right?(Shorttensepause.)
VANEK:(Almostinaudible.) What?!

(The telephonerings.)
VANEK:(Broken,sinksbackin hischair.)
STANEK:(Crossesto thephone,liftsthereceiver.)Hello-Yes-What?-
Good Lord!You mean-Waita minute-I see-I see-Where areyou?
-Yes, yes,ofcourse-Absolutely! -Good! -You bet!-Sure-I'll be
herewaitingforyou!Byebye.(Replacesthereceiver. Pauses.Returnsto
hischair.To Vanek.)You can go andburnit downstairs in thefurnace!
VANEK:What?
STANEK:He's justwalkedintothecanteen!To see Anne.
VANEK:Who did?
STANEK:Javurek!Who else?
VANEK: (Jumpsup.) Javurek?You mean he was released?But that's
wonderful!So theprivate
interventiondidwork,afterall! Justas wellwe
didn'tsendofftheprotest
a fewdaysearlier!I'm suretheywould'vegot
theirbacksup and kepthiminside!
STANEK:(Pause.Staresat Vanek.Thensuddenly cordial.)My dearfellow,
you musn'tfret!There's alwaystheriskthatyou can do moreharm
thangoodbyyouractivities!Right?Heavens,ifyoushouldworryabout
thissortofthing,you'dneverbe abletodo anythingat all! Come,letme
getyouthosesaplings-

and adaptedby VeraBlackwell)

(Translated

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