Vaclav Havel

6 7.2

Czech writer and political leader who helped end communist rule and served as president

proper noun
/ˈvætslɑːf ˈhɑːvəl/

: Václav Havel

The famous playwright Vaclav Havel changed the course of Czech history.

Examples

The influence of Vaclav Havel on modern Czech democracy remains profound.
A new book explores the political philosophy of Vaclav Havel.
Many artists admired Vaclav Havel for his courage and creativity.
Did Vaclav Havel really write 'The Garden Party'?
Many artists admired Vaclav Havel for his courage and creativity.
The influence of Vaclav Havel on modern Czech democracy remains profound.
A new book explores the political philosophy of Vaclav Havel.

Synonyms

Havel

vsVaclav Havel

14 7.5

A Czech writer and politician who became the first president of the Czech Republic

is the full personal name form rather than the short surname form

Surface Forms

Vaclav Havel main

Morphology

Vaclav + Havel

This is a proper name referring to a specific individual; its meaning is referential rather than compositional, so knowing the literal parts ('Vaclav' and 'Havel') does not let a learner derive the biographical information. Even if a learner recognized 'Havel' as a surname or had seen a gloss like 'first president', the full identity and historical details of 'Vaclav Havel' are not transparently predictable from the constituents, so it is idiomatic/opaque for learners.

Etymology

Vaclav Havel was a Czech 'playwright' who 'opposed the government' and helped lead a peaceful change in 1989, after which he became 'president'. Imagine a writer leaving the theatre stage to lead his country; that is why his name now reminds people of peaceful change and creative courage.