Kundera, one of the most critically acclaimed contemporary writer, cannot philosophize. He's kind of low key bad at it. In Kundera's infamous work, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, ( I don't care that it's infamous, really, since two of my most loved books, Picture of Dorian Gray and God is Dead, are both infamous works) he introduces us to the concept of eternal recurrence, the idea that every event in history repeats itself infinitely. Now, while this may sound like a deep philosophical revelation, let's take a moment to appreciate the absurdity. Does this mean I'll be stuck in an endless loop of choosing what to have for breakfast? Oh, the horror! Tbh, it really doesn't impact our daily lives that much, or at least, as much as Kundera strives to make the absurdity of it to be. In addition, his discussion of God and excrement was so unnecessary to his wonderful characterization and story-telling. The book would make a better piece of literature, in my opinion at least, if it were not written in the style of a sixth-grader undergoing an existential crisis who also cries to Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Camus, and Sartre (Kundera writes with MUCH better grammar and style and literary choices, ofc).
Kundera, if you're reading this, which will never happen, please don't let your somber philosophies get in the way of your wonderful literature:)
Comments