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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Bending the words' meaning to their extreme, The Joke plays with the concepts and ideologies of destiny and coincidence in a marvelous way. The main characters want to stick to their past, to either keep it that way forever or change the course of what's already happened, and just like any escapistic, vindictive and daydreaming person, they don't want to see how their actions reflect on the actual passing moment. That thought keeps them from going forward like a ball and chain, and leads them far deeper from the reality, from the fact that their hair gets grey and things have changed. This, to me, gives the story some resembling of Kafka's [b:Amerika|22911|Amerika|Franz Kafka|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327894257s/22911.jpg|935000], still managing to avoid the kafkaesque and having the characters and us laughing at the misfortunes that the joke - life itself, puts in front of us.
I can't read the book without reflecting it on Kundera's own experiences, which to me seem to stand out from the regretful, self-pitying circle of thoughts of Ludvík, who, just like Kundera, got thrown out of their familiar circles for a harmless cause. (In the middle of writing this I had to check: yes, Kundera indeed did use his incident as an inspiration for this first novel)
The book itself is written exellently, and with very familiar Kundera way: thought-provokingly with good amount of repetition to raise up the subjects into the philosophical levels and then back to the ground-smelling reality again, with excellent and inspiring references (especially in the topic of music) and with charming, dark wit.
I can't read the book without reflecting it on Kundera's own experiences, which to me seem to stand out from the regretful, self-pitying circle of thoughts of Ludvík, who, just like Kundera, got thrown out of their familiar circles for a harmless cause. (In the middle of writing this I had to check: yes, Kundera indeed did use his incident as an inspiration for this first novel)
The book itself is written exellently, and with very familiar Kundera way: thought-provokingly with good amount of repetition to raise up the subjects into the philosophical levels and then back to the ground-smelling reality again, with excellent and inspiring references (especially in the topic of music) and with charming, dark wit.
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
medium-paced
Personal relationships are paramount in life. At their best they can confirm the highest ideals we have about human life. Relationships are how we learn about ourselves. How we evolve, both as individuals and communities. How we learn about the world around us. Relationships are the most accessible source of inspiration. They can bring us to our knees; they can move us close to heaven. Personal relationships are our sacred text, our scripture. Every totalitarian state seeks to undermine the power of personal relationships. The party line takes precedence over every other consideration...
Early on, Ludvik is embroiled in a sexual power play with a girl he fancies. He's irritated by her earnest piety towards a Czech national hero - a resistance fighter who was murdered by the Nazis. He writes her a postcard with a facetious remark about this man. Soon, he is on trial. A friend of his adjudicates his case, finds him guilty and he is banished from the Communist party, the university and sent for political re-education. The postcard, in his eyes, was nothing more than a joke. Kundera does a good job of dramatizing the inevitable demoralisation and nihilism that a totalitarian state bleeds out, the fatal rifts in personal relationships it brings about. But…
I tire of Kundera's relentless hostility towards pop culture, motorbikes, leather jackets, youthful posturing. He just sounds like a grumpy old man full of bogus nostalgia for a reality that never existed. In this novel, he gives us what he thinks of as a better alternative: folk culture. Frankly, this element of the novel bored me silly. I also tire of his adolescent macho sexuality. I've defended him in my reviews of his later and much better novels but it's hard here. Ludvik's plan for revenging himself on the friend who tried and sentenced him is to sleep with his wife. The scene when this takes place is excruciating. I think in all his novels there's at least one scene in which a male sexually humiliates a female. Here, he goes way beyond what the plot demands in his exultant abuse of the (wholly innocent) female character. He also provides what sounds like excerpts from a self-help manual on how to seduce women which I found comically crass. Kundera the womaniser, like Kundera the cultural arbiter, is a crushing bore. He's not a good looking man, never was. You can't help wondering if the sexual passages of his novels are some sort of cathartic fantasy in which he's able to play a sexual role, both triumphant and vindictive, he was denied in real life.
I've just read Kundera snitched on someone to the communist regime which resulted in the individual spending 22 years in prison. That seals it for me - Milan Kundera gets my vote as the most unlikeable author out there. It's almost a shame he can also be a genius.
Early on, Ludvik is embroiled in a sexual power play with a girl he fancies. He's irritated by her earnest piety towards a Czech national hero - a resistance fighter who was murdered by the Nazis. He writes her a postcard with a facetious remark about this man. Soon, he is on trial. A friend of his adjudicates his case, finds him guilty and he is banished from the Communist party, the university and sent for political re-education. The postcard, in his eyes, was nothing more than a joke. Kundera does a good job of dramatizing the inevitable demoralisation and nihilism that a totalitarian state bleeds out, the fatal rifts in personal relationships it brings about. But…
I tire of Kundera's relentless hostility towards pop culture, motorbikes, leather jackets, youthful posturing. He just sounds like a grumpy old man full of bogus nostalgia for a reality that never existed. In this novel, he gives us what he thinks of as a better alternative: folk culture. Frankly, this element of the novel bored me silly. I also tire of his adolescent macho sexuality. I've defended him in my reviews of his later and much better novels but it's hard here. Ludvik's plan for revenging himself on the friend who tried and sentenced him is to sleep with his wife. The scene when this takes place is excruciating. I think in all his novels there's at least one scene in which a male sexually humiliates a female. Here, he goes way beyond what the plot demands in his exultant abuse of the (wholly innocent) female character. He also provides what sounds like excerpts from a self-help manual on how to seduce women which I found comically crass. Kundera the womaniser, like Kundera the cultural arbiter, is a crushing bore. He's not a good looking man, never was. You can't help wondering if the sexual passages of his novels are some sort of cathartic fantasy in which he's able to play a sexual role, both triumphant and vindictive, he was denied in real life.
I've just read Kundera snitched on someone to the communist regime which resulted in the individual spending 22 years in prison. That seals it for me - Milan Kundera gets my vote as the most unlikeable author out there. It's almost a shame he can also be a genius.
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book twists and turns in the ways I did not expect. Having finished reading I am still confused at what has just happened. The author would spend 250 pages to build something up, to give it grave importance, only to reduce it to nothing on page 251. I've read a couple of Kundera's other books prior to The Joke, which is why I was initially confused by the misogyny and the role that women played in the novel. I guess that the views are era-appropriate, but they just didn't sit right with me and I was starting to seriously question Kundera's early writing. It took me 200 pages to realise that what truly bothered me was masterfully written main character and his personality, rather than the writer himself. I found myself hating Ludvik with a burning passion that almost discouraged me from reading the book altogether.
Criticisms:
(1) The writing is quite dense. Inner monologue, dialogue, philosophical banter, and descriptions are all mashed together with minimal transition. While I usually enjoy philosophical analogies, I did find the writing difficult to follow at times and I also found myself re-reading certain passages more than once simply because I kept loosing track of what was going on. I would not recommend this book as an introduction to Kundera's work, even though it is a masterpiece.
(2) I just don't really care for folklore and its relevance to the plot is mostly lost on me.
Criticisms:
(1) The writing is quite dense. Inner monologue, dialogue, philosophical banter, and descriptions are all mashed together with minimal transition. While I usually enjoy philosophical analogies, I did find the writing difficult to follow at times and I also found myself re-reading certain passages more than once simply because I kept loosing track of what was going on. I would not recommend this book as an introduction to Kundera's work, even though it is a masterpiece.
(2) I just don't really care for folklore and its relevance to the plot is mostly lost on me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
This is an incredible book. It took me forever to finish it, not for a lack of enjoyment, but because of my busy life.
But please check trigger warnings for the book. (I won't do it myself, because I feel unqualified)
But please check trigger warnings for the book. (I won't do it myself, because I feel unqualified)
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A powerful, raw read on man's lack of control in his life.
The book starts off slow, but picks up about 10% of the way through. Heavily a character driven book, with each of the main "protagonists" adding incredible amounts of depth. The dialogue is sharp enough to cut your hands while you hold the book. Kundera also gives us a glimpse into the mind of each character - not enough to be omniscient, but just enough to satiate us and whet our appetite for what's to come next.
The irony in this book is brilliant. As it's critique on institutions.
Admittedly it gets a little confusing at points, but it's well worth the extra time & re-reading.
The book starts off slow, but picks up about 10% of the way through. Heavily a character driven book, with each of the main "protagonists" adding incredible amounts of depth. The dialogue is sharp enough to cut your hands while you hold the book. Kundera also gives us a glimpse into the mind of each character - not enough to be omniscient, but just enough to satiate us and whet our appetite for what's to come next.
The irony in this book is brilliant. As it's critique on institutions.
Admittedly it gets a little confusing at points, but it's well worth the extra time & re-reading.