![]() ![]() The result is nothing less than the restoration of a classic. The Joke Jaromil Jire’s brilliant adaptation of Milan Kundera’s novel tells the fragmentary tale of a man expelled from the Communist Party because of a political joke. For 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 to the characteristic dictions and tonalities of the novel's narrators. The present edition provides English-language readers an important further means toward revaluation of The Joke. THE JOKE (1967)Milan Kunderas novelThe Joke(1967) centres on Ludvik Jahn, a sarcastic man prone tojokes, and the way his actions affect those around him. Now though, 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 favor 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. ![]()
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