The publication in 1986 of Milan Kundera’s collection of seven essays entitled
L’art du roman[
The Art of the Novel, translated in 1988], was an important turning point for the émigré Czech author in several respects. First, it was his first book-length publication written in French, which reduced his dependence on Czech-language translators. Second, it appropriated the title of his first major book-length essay in Czech, and thus in effect “erased” that work from his bibliography. Finally, by selecting the included essays as “approved” texts,
The Art of the Novelexcluded others, some of which had been published almost simultaneously in the same journals as the “acceptable” ones, including one of his best-known articles, “The Tragedy of Central Europe”. Appearing at…
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Citation: Sabatos, Charles. "L'art du roman, essai". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 December 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=23186, accessed 21 November 2024.]
