| 9:29 PM |
The Joke |
Is about a man named Ludvik, a member of the communist party in Czechoslovakia circa 1960.
In a post card to a lady friend he makes a joke(thus the title of the book) at the parties expense and they tear him down with it. He loses his membership with the party and his coveted spot in one of the best universities in the country.
Rather than wait to be sentenced to work in a labor camp or some equally gruesome fate. He enrolls in the Czech equivilant of the National Guard, where he meets a woman named Lucie.
She is quiet and shy, but has a certain poise that forms an immediate attraction for Ludvik..although he only sees her on rare occasions as he only gets out of his barrack every month or two if he's lucky especially since their unit was put in the charge of an insecure, quasi-sadistic, young officer...
Ludvik soon becomes frustated with Lucie's lack of physical intimacy and attempts to force himself upon her(never a good idea)...she runs away, and he for all intents and purposes never sees her again.
Years later after he is discharged he returns to his home town and sets out to get his revenge on the man who was responsible for his downfall(a rather affable fellow named Zemanek)...his somewhat juvenile plan is to seduce the wife of the afore mentioned Zemanek...but like every thing else that Ludvik gets involved in, his revenge goes sour, when after the deed is done he finds out that Zemanek's marrige is on the rocks and that he(Zemanek) is in fact dating a much younger more attractive girl than the wife that Ludvik has just seduced...
And that ladies and gentlemen about sums up the book I just read...written in the 1960's by Czech author Milan Kundera it was banned by the communist government there after a soviet crack down(it was deemed an anti-socialist vehicle). The author fled to France and as far as I know still lives there. I wouldn't recommend the book per se(unless books about men named Ludvik doing odd things, all the while taking place in the Czech country-side..fits into your favorite genre) but I thought it had some interesting commentary, and the character development was very good(sometimes unfortunately) for a book shy of 300 pages....and so after much ado I pronounce my verdict : ** out of *****
In a post card to a lady friend he makes a joke(thus the title of the book) at the parties expense and they tear him down with it. He loses his membership with the party and his coveted spot in one of the best universities in the country.
Rather than wait to be sentenced to work in a labor camp or some equally gruesome fate. He enrolls in the Czech equivilant of the National Guard, where he meets a woman named Lucie.
She is quiet and shy, but has a certain poise that forms an immediate attraction for Ludvik..although he only sees her on rare occasions as he only gets out of his barrack every month or two if he's lucky especially since their unit was put in the charge of an insecure, quasi-sadistic, young officer...
Ludvik soon becomes frustated with Lucie's lack of physical intimacy and attempts to force himself upon her(never a good idea)...she runs away, and he for all intents and purposes never sees her again.
Years later after he is discharged he returns to his home town and sets out to get his revenge on the man who was responsible for his downfall(a rather affable fellow named Zemanek)...his somewhat juvenile plan is to seduce the wife of the afore mentioned Zemanek...but like every thing else that Ludvik gets involved in, his revenge goes sour, when after the deed is done he finds out that Zemanek's marrige is on the rocks and that he(Zemanek) is in fact dating a much younger more attractive girl than the wife that Ludvik has just seduced...
And that ladies and gentlemen about sums up the book I just read...written in the 1960's by Czech author Milan Kundera it was banned by the communist government there after a soviet crack down(it was deemed an anti-socialist vehicle). The author fled to France and as far as I know still lives there. I wouldn't recommend the book per se(unless books about men named Ludvik doing odd things, all the while taking place in the Czech country-side..fits into your favorite genre) but I thought it had some interesting commentary, and the character development was very good(sometimes unfortunately) for a book shy of 300 pages....and so after much ado I pronounce my verdict : ** out of *****
3 comments:
I love you, Danster!! I think blogs are for the most part nonsense, but I like your nonsense more than anyone elses nonsense so I'm gonna read it. I miss you!! Love to the the wife!
Hey "bear", good to hear from you....how's life? Are you still in Houston? hmmm I think I'll write you a letter rather then talk to you over my blog...how;s that for an idea?
Yes, write me!! And I'll write you as well. You first though- your life is much more interesting, I'm sure) :)
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