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The Power of the Powerless and Further Havelian Paradoxes in the Stream of Time

James Krapfl’s translation of “The Power of the Powerless and further Havelian Paradoxes in the Stream of Time” familiarizes the Anglophone audience with the work of an eminent Czech historian, Jiří Suk, who in this project was joined by his junior colleague, Kristina Andělová. Suk and Andělová present an analysis of Václav Havel’s oeuvre that refines the understanding of his philosophy, his politics, and, perhaps most importantly, his personality in ways particularly important for scholars who are unable to read Czech. In his work on the translation, Krapfl encountered some disparities between Suk’s and Andělová’s interpretation of the Czech original and the linguistic choices in certain phrases made by Paul Wilson in his renowned rendition of Havel’s most famous essay, The Power of the Powerless. Prompted by Krapfl’s discoveries, Wilson has added footnotes that refine his translation of this essay, in what will surely become the canonical version in English and lead scholars to a new appreciation of Havelian thought. Krapfl thus demonstrates the way a collegial translation can transcend its narrowly understood task, rising to a level of accomplishment virtually out of reach for someone well trained linguistically but not cognizant with the disciplinary issues involved.