The Czech (Czechoslovak) ‘Osmichki’ in the Novels by Milan Kundera: The Problem of Memory and Forgetting

Abstract

The article examines the notion of Czech (Czechoslovak) ‘osmichki’ in the novels of a famous writer Milan Kundera. The Czech (Czechoslovak) history (inclusive of ‘osmichki’ of 1968) is shown in the author’s literary work not only as a historical and political but an ethical category. It is connected with the problem of national identity and forms the inner world of the characters in Kundera’s novels and that of the author himself (the interpenetration of the character’s life story and real history). The author views the world and man in this world through the realm of existential and post-modern philosophy trying to understand the drama of a nation along with a man’s daily drama in history. The ‘past-present-future’ triad is interpreted by the writer though the Past as the starting and the turning point. In this view the motif of memory and forgetting gains a particular impact in the early works by Kundera. The choice between memory and forgetting determines the evaluation of both fictional and real historical character as well as the author’s view. It provides a peculiar interpretation of history, man in history, national and personal identity through the history of daily routine. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n2s1p543