Havel wins Jaroslav Seifert literary prize

Former President Václav Havel is to be awarded the prestigious Jaroslav Seifert literary prize, it was announced on Monday. The prize has been awarded since 1986 to an author who has produced either remarkable poetry or fiction in the last three years. A spokesperson for the jury said that Mr Havel had been awarded the prize for his eighth volume of collected writings, which spanned the years 1999-2006, and contained many of Mr Havel’s presidential speeches. The former statesman’s book ‘Prosím, stručně’ and the script for his new play ‘Leaving’ were also recognized by the jury. Mr Havel will receive the award at the start of October at a ceremony in Prague. Previous winners of the award include Ludvík Vaculík, Josef Škvorecký and Jiří Suchý.