Quickie Book Review: The Art of the Novel by Milan Kundera -- B+

The always fascinating and always verbose Milan Kundera, one of my very favorite authors of all time, but also one who can be awfully confusing. I don't know if the man is a total, cool, out of this world genius, or an incredibly arrogant man just trying to be. I guess my not being able to figure out either one doesn't make me much of an Einstein either. This book discusses, in the form of essays, interviews, and speeches, the "death of the novel" meaning, the death of any kind of real innovation in the way it is written. Examples such as Cervantes, Fielding, Kafka, and Flaubert are all offered, as well as some lesser-known ones, like Broch, as past examples of breakthroughs in the evolution of the novel. Kundera fears that the evolution has come to a grinding halt, perhaps forevermore. There was one personal piece of humor in this for me. It has been a rare event that I have never finished a book, even if it was boring, predictable, or rambling. I can name three books I failed to finish: Don Quixote by Cervantes, Tom Jones by Fielding, and The Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Kafka, though I ardently claim that I am "still reading" Kafka. I did read the title story. It freaked me out. Anyway, this is recommended for people into Kundera, into philosophy, into the art of writing, or all of the above. I liked it.