The Art of the Novel -- A Series of Works by Milan Kundera

Author: Kundera
Translator: Dong Qiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: Undoubtedly, Milan Kundera is a great novelist. Starting with "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," his chapter structure like musical movements, the popular farcical mode, sharp observations and critiques of authoritarian societies (even including authoritarian families), and profound philosophical reflections leave readers stunned and captivated. What's amazing is that in the arrangement of his novel chapters, two seemingly unrelated storylines later converge at a single point in a strange yet perfect way, taking the reader to a higher vantage point, allowing them to glimpse the novelist's perfect layout, as if listening to a perfect symphony, leaving one unable to help but applaud in admiration. This is one of the experiences of enjoying reading his novel "Immortality" that I have engraved in my memory. However, Kundera's novels are not easy to read. Perhaps for most readers, we can only grasp a piece or a thread of the complete puzzle as a clue for reading. Now, a collection titled "A Novelist on Novels" has been published again, which Kundera calls "The Art of the Novel," a practitioner's reflection, and it is worth reading for those who love reading novels, even those who write novels. How does a novelist view novels? Especially one like Milan Kundera? Kundera's novels can draw clear architectural structural diagrams based on the number "seven," skillfully using polyphonic structures, and matching the speed of the inner music to write about love and sex, history and politics, existence and conflict with black humor. I am not good at theory. The following thoughts are those of a practitioner. Each novelist's work implies the author's understanding of the history of the novel and the author's thoughts on "what a novel is." Here, I state the inherent, personal ideas I have about the novel in my own novels. Once a novelist takes on the role of a public figure, it places his work in a dangerous position, as it may be seen as a of his actions, his declarations, his adopted stances.