The Book of Laughter and Forgetting A Novel

“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.” “The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent, wounding, to the point that we want to destroy or repaint it. We want to be masters of the future only for the power to change the past.” “That didn't break him. He was in love with his destiny, and even his march toward ruin seemed noble and beautiful to him.” “But a prison, even though entirely surrounded by walls, is a splendidly illuminated scene of history.” “the novel is the fruit of a human illusion. The illusion of the power to understand others. But what do we know of one another?” “For everyone is pained by the thought of disappearing, unheard and unseen, into an indifferent universe, and because of that everyone wants, while there is still time, to turn himself into a universe of words.” “Litost is a state of torment created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery.” “Whoever wishes to remember must not stay in one place, waiting for the memories to come of their own accord! Memories are scattered all over the immense world, and it takes voyaging to find them and make them leave their refuge!”

I was reading this book during a weird few weeks while I was processing a lot of stuff and working things out so I think it simultaneously flew over my head a little and came into my life at the right time because, just like unbearable lightness, laughter & forgetting is so candid and insightful in its exploration of fundamentally, what it is to be human and I feel that I learnt so much. As is to be expected of essay collections/short stories some chapters are stronger than others… Litost was a particular stand out in that it was able to combine this really compelling storytelling with emotion and intelligence i have only really come across in Kundera’s writing. Generally not as engaging or life changing as unbearable lightness but still an important read for me.

I really did not enjoy this at first but it grew on me over time. Some parts are pretty brilliant. Others are slow, clunky, and (pointlessly?) misogynistic. Compared to Unbearable Lightness this one discusses the Czech political climate more explicitly– Kundera's observations are so specific. I've yet to read anything that describes Czech attitudes so accurately.

Milan Kundera died while I was reading this book. He's gotta be one of my favorite authors. May he rest in peace.

Giving this two stars just for the quality of the prose. Kundera leaves no stone left unturned when it comes to creating symbolic connections to religion and philosophy. Otherwise, I found it deeply misogynistic and hard to read. I think Kundera goes beyond the use of misogyny just as a device to characterize his male figures, many of the moments of contempt for women that permeate the work feel too personal.

Un livre intéressant, sans plus.