Landmark collection of essays on subject. The first appearance of the title in English. The artistic manifesto of the greatest living “postmodern” novelist. Written with a strong philosophical and aesthetic background, the book’s greatest value is as the perfect antidote to the countless, dreary “critical theory” studies churned out by unimaginative and mediocre university professor/hacks. One of the most eloquent books on the novelist’s art, it is indispensable to a greater understanding of Milan Kundera’s roots, influences and very deeply held beliefs as a novelist as well as to the very possibilities of the novel itself as an art form. Wise, tender, poetic, intelligent and witty, as is to be expected from Kundera’s novels, and to be found in these essays, too. The question is no longer whether Kundera deserves to win the Nobel Prize but whether the award is worthy of him. © 2005, ModernRare.com