Sur les traces de Franz Kafka dans l’œuvre de Milan Kundera // In the footsteps of Franz Kafka in the work of Milan Kundera

Abstract

Franz Kafka is undoubtebly an important part of the literary canon of the Central Europe and especially of the canon formed by Milan Kundera in his works. Kundera considers Kafka to be one of his principal masters. He sees Kafka as an antecendent of surrealism and existencialism. According to his collection of essays The Art of the Novel, Kafka is the prototype of the ideal author who invites us to cross the border of the probable showing us the world from the other side. Thus, we can observe the human existence in different and better way. By showing this, he fills up the main task of every novelist. The contribution will analyze the alludes of Kafka in the work of Kundera and will try to describe their character and explain how Kundera works with examples of Kafka and his work in his own books.

Keywords

• Milan Kundera
• Franz Kafka
• Central Europe
• novel
• Europe centrale
• roman