Violeta > Status Update
Violeta
added a status update
Milan Kundera died yesterday, at 94, in Paris. I'm sad, I count myself among those who were largely influenced by his work.
The novelist teaches the reader to comprehend the world as a question. There is wisdom and tolerance in that attitude. In a world built on sacrosanct certainties the novel is dead.
From his interviews to Philip Roth in 1980.
Now they are both gone and the world is a poorer place.
— Jul 12, 2023 04:52AM
The novelist teaches the reader to comprehend the world as a question. There is wisdom and tolerance in that attitude. In a world built on sacrosanct certainties the novel is dead.
From his interviews to Philip Roth in 1980.
Now they are both gone and the world is a poorer place.
35 likes · Like flag
Comments Showing 1-8 of 8 (8 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Vesna
(new)
Jul 12, 2023 07:15AM
Thank you for letting us know about it, Violeta. I read his The Joke and The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, some of the best in the Samizdat literature. Glad you mentioned Philip Roth as his great friend. He was such an important figure in bringing the Eastern European literature to the Western readers by initiating the landmark Penguin series 'Writers from the Other Europe' in the 1970s. These two friends must be having a great conversation wherever they are now.
reply
|
flag
I read that he died this morning and also quite saddened, Violeta. Another fine writer gone, like Roth.
That’s a comforting thought, Vesna - wherever they are or aren’t…Those two Kundera books you’ve read, they so represent his unique approach to the absurdities of Eastern Europe (and human nature), no wonder they weren’t approved for ‘formal’ publication. He was, in fact, blacklisted for The Joke, if I’m not mistaken.
I ‘discovered’ him in my 20s and his subtle irony and penetrating gaze deeply resonated and offered me a new way of looking at things.
Roth’s efforts were admirable and it was a pleasant surprise to find out how much two of my very favorite authors appreciated each other.
They’ll both be remembered with reverence.
It’s nice that we have this community of readers to express our feelings for such events, David.A great literary loss…
Well, that's really a heart breaking news, I came to know about it just now through your update. That's a profound loss to the literary world, his contributions will never be forgotten.
Gaurav, I do want to believe the same: that his work will be relevant and appreciated by thoughtful readers such as yourself for many years to come.
Linda which novel would you recommend I might begin with
Murray, in light of his death (he would have appreciated the irony here...), you could start with his Immortality.
