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A review by myra_
The Joke by Milan Kundera
3.0
This review first published on Oh Just Books.
I've read another book by the same author - Immortality, which was more nuanced and polished on account of Kundera's growth as a storyteller. The Joke is his first book. I read the translated work (obviously). The original title of the book in Czech is 'Zert'.
The book is set in post-WW2 Czechoslovakia. It has 7 chapters written with the POV of different characters in the story with suitable jumps in the timeline to keep the reader guessing. The primary protagonist, Ludvik is a dashing, witty, and popular student who supports the Communist Party. He finds himself derailed from the path of his life after a joke that he cracks at the expense of a friend gains bad repute for him. This leads to him being expelled and sent to the mines, which embitters him. It would be appropriate to assume that this is the joke that the title refers to, but after finishing the book you can point out a number of instances which render the characters in it as a butt of a joke.
Read the rest of the review here.
I've read another book by the same author - Immortality, which was more nuanced and polished on account of Kundera's growth as a storyteller. The Joke is his first book. I read the translated work (obviously). The original title of the book in Czech is 'Zert'.
The book is set in post-WW2 Czechoslovakia. It has 7 chapters written with the POV of different characters in the story with suitable jumps in the timeline to keep the reader guessing. The primary protagonist, Ludvik is a dashing, witty, and popular student who supports the Communist Party. He finds himself derailed from the path of his life after a joke that he cracks at the expense of a friend gains bad repute for him. This leads to him being expelled and sent to the mines, which embitters him. It would be appropriate to assume that this is the joke that the title refers to, but after finishing the book you can point out a number of instances which render the characters in it as a butt of a joke.
Read the rest of the review here.