“Dear Václav, Writing a preface to your more recent plays is a somewhat daunting task, because two identities coincide in you: that of a playwright and that of a human rights activist. (...) Your scenic spiral, your personal refrain about the general whirlwind is completely original, seemingly simple, amused as well as amusing, casual and therefore horrifying and disturbing. It is only with refrains such as yours, if we sing enough of them, each in our own way, that we have a slim hope of overcoming all forms of gibberish and the whirlwind of nonsense. You are today a world-famous playwright, who inspires respect and gratitude not only among fellow theatregoers but among all people of good will the world over. Stay on your dangerous, heroic course – you carry a reliable compass within you. Yours in admiration and love, Jiří Voskovec, New York, July 1977” A letter from Jiří Voskovec to Václav Havel, typescript, 1977