Kundera, Milan (Milan Kundera). Kundera Milan, "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"

Kundera, Milan - the most famous Czech writer. He began his career with poetry, then finding his vocation in prose.

Carier start

Kundera was born in the Czech city of Brno. His father was the rector of the university and a good specialist in music. The school the future writer has ended in 1948. During his studies he composed poems, tried the pen. But, strangely enough, after graduating she entered the Philosophy Department, where he was actively engaged in musicology. After one year he is transferred to the cinema department, where Kundera subsequently worked. Milan has always had a difficult and intricate relationship with politics. Being a lecturer in the department and a member of the editorial boards of two literary magazines, he was expelled from the Communist Party for individualistic views and anti-Party activities. However, he was soon rehabilitated.

The first published work appeared in 1953. Fame comes to him after the release of a collection of poems. At this time, Milan Kundera, whose books are gradually gaining popularity, is very much engaged in drama and essay. A real success brought a collection of short stories "Funny Love."

The first novel of the writer

Political views of the author reflected in his first novel "Joke." Milan Kundera speaks in it about Stalinism, speaking with harsh criticism of this phenomenon. For 1967, the book was quite topical. The novel was translated into many languages and immediately became popular. With the incredible brilliance of Kundera, Milan shows the history of human torment mixed with the denunciation of the political system. Organically, the theme of the joke and the game is woven into the canvas of the novel. Louis Yan - the hero of the novel - unsuccessfully jokes, his joke changes his life. Kundera brings his story to the point of absurdity. The book looks rather gloomy and gray, but it is very vital.

Kundera, Milan: "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"

Incredibly profound in content, Kundera's novel. Perhaps, he is the most popular and highly valued book of the author. In it, he tries to philosophically comprehend the freedom of man, his happiness. The writer again makes an attempt to portray a turning point in history through the destinies and traditional attitudes of ordinary people. Some readers negatively perceive this work: there is too little action in it. The novel is filled with the inventions of the author, his reasoning and lyrical digression. However, in this lies the charm of this work. The novel has two storylines. The first is connected with the fate of Theresa and Tomas, and the second - Sabina and Franz. They live, as it seems at first glance, the most ordinary lives. They love, they part, they are engaged in professional activities. However, in 1968 there were such political events that change everything. Now only those who love Soviet power can continue to live and feel comfortable. As you know, in 1968, Soviet tanks passed through Czech cities. Mass protests began in which Kundera himself participated. Milan for this was deprived of the right to teach. The feeling of unfreedom, of pressure through and through pervades the writer's novel. The novel is translated into many languages and is filmed.

Characteristics of some novels

One of the most remarkable novels, which was written by Milan Kundera, is "Waltz in Parting." There are seven main characters in it. These are ordinary women and men, as their fates will develop - it is not clear. The author through some unthinkable mathematical calculations mixes up and mixes the characters, gradually reducing them to each other. The novel is full of passions, intrigues, feelings. It can be defined as a psychological novel with an admixture of criminal (detective) genre and drama.

A masterpiece of intellectual prose is the novel that was created by Milan Kundera, "Immortality" (1990). This book is built as a chain of associations that have arisen after a single gesture of the heroine. By the way, this is the last novel written by Kundera in the Czech language. In French, they wrote such novels as "Slow", "Authenticity." The novel "Slowness" is a series of combined stories in which it is difficult to find one topic (since there are many topics). A novel about how people are striving to achieve something, without realizing that they are carried away only by the process of achieving the goal, but not by the very goal. There are motives in him for a desire for recognition, evaluation. The novel "Authenticity" opens before the reader endless labyrinths of reflections and fictions, when it is difficult to understand what is really imaginary and what is genuine. This work actualizes the themes of friendship, memory, memories.

Further life of the writer

As noted above, after the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Soviet troops Kundera was deprived of his post at the university. He continued to work on his novels, but he did not publish any of his works. Constant surveillance and harassment forces him to leave the country. Even after so many years, the writer experiences some distrust of Russians (as Kundera himself says). Milan travels to France. He lives there since 1975. In 1981 he became a full-fledged citizen of this country. For a long time he wrote his novels in his native language, and essays and articles - in French. In one of the interviews Kundera noted that, unlike other writers - forced emigrants, - he does not feel separated from his native soil, so he can do it in full force.

Kundera Milan about literature

Like every writer, Milan Kundera is an ardent admirer of literature. According to the writer, great influence was exerted on him by the works of such great masters of the word as Francois Rabelais and Denis Diderot. In the works of these authors, Kundera is attracted by the game, irony, "freedom, turned into a novel." Of course, he does not bypass Kundera and his compatriot - Franz Kafka. He is rightfully called the symbol of the era. Unbelief in progress, some disappointment, the illusory improvement in society, irony - this is what fascinates Kunder in Kafka's novels.

In Russian literature, the writer especially distinguishes the work of LN. Tolstoy. In his opinion, Lev Nikolaevich managed to catch modernity better than other authors, to experience the peculiarities of time. Special merit of Tolstoy is in the creation of an internal monologue. Milan Kundera believes that it was Tolstoy that became the forerunner of the literature of the "stream of consciousness," further developed in the works of Joyce and other contemporary writers and postmodernists.

Known statements by the author

Deep philosophical, intellectual novels of the author can be literally "cut" into quotes. However, there are also such statements of the author, who did not enter his works.

"I hate to participate in political life, although politics fascinates me as a show, a spectacle." This quotation was expressed by the author about the elections in France and about his departure from his native country. Of course, for Kundera, politics is a tragic spectacle.

"Life, when you can not hide from the eyes of others, is hell." In this quote, everything is laid: both his attitude to the totalitarian state, and the attitude to his own glory. Milan once said that he would like to become invisible. The writer never protested and did not advertise his private life.

"The true humanism of society manifests itself in its relation to the elderly." According to the writer, one should not judge society only in relation to children. After all, man's true future is old age.