Abstrakt
In my paper I would like to share my experience of 6 years spent on writing biography of Ivan M. Havel (published in September 2017).
Mr. Havel is a Czech scientist, philosopher, author and, of course, brother of former Czech president Václav Havel.
What my book contains and what it does not - and why? How did I cope with the general expectations of writing especially about Mr. Havel's relationship with his "famous brother"? Apart from that I would also like to focus on methodological aspects of a biography based on oral history recordings particularly on the following topics: a) the relationship between researcher and narrator in contrast to oral history projects focused primarily on a chosen topic rather than a person, b) the problematics of shared authority in terms of interpreting our interviews: is it my book, or ours?, c) the advantages and disadvantages of using other sources, for example archival sources, personal letters, diaries, narrator's own scientific and literary works, essays...
And why do I have doubts about starting something similar anytime soon?