The result is nothing less than the restoration of a classic. Kundera is the saddest, funniest and most lovable of authors. This audio edition provides English-language listeners an important further means toward revaluation of The Joke.įor reasons he describes in his author's note, Milan Kundera devoted much time to creating (with the assistance of his American publisher-editor) a completely revised translation that reflects his original as closely as any translation possibly can: reflects it in its fidelity not only to the words and syntax but also in the characteristic dictions and tonalities of the novel's narrators. The Joke, Milan Kunderas first novel, gained him a huge following in his own country, and launched his worldwide literary reputation. Milan Kunderas first novel, The Joke, was initially published four and a half decades ago but stands the test of time as a great, tragic story of what happens. Now, a quarter century after The Joke was first published and several years after the collapse of the Soviet-imposed Czechoslovak regime, it becomes easier to put such implications into perspective in favour of valuing the book (and all Kundera's work) as what it truly is: great, stirring literature that sheds new light on the eternal themes of human existence. All too often, this brilliant novel of thwarted love and revenge miscarried has been read for its political implications. His main characters narrative is loaded with such expressions as choice and existence, self-deception or freedom, which are sometimes even set in Italics. The Joke, Milan Kunderas first novel, gained him a huge following in his own country, and launched his worldwide literary reputation.Kundera is the saddest, funniest and most lovable of authors. Its humor is of a kind more likely to evoke a grimace than a laugh.

The Joke by Milan Kundera