2023-07-12 21:14:17
The former Minister of Culture contributed to the naturalization of the Czechoslovakian writer in 1981, shortly after the election of François Mitterrand.
To talk about my relationship with Milan Kundera is to talk about the relationship of people of my generation with what was called Czechoslovakia at the time, with the artists, the creators of this country which has known liberal phases and others more repressive. When François Mitterrand took over and my appointment to the Ministry of Culture in May 1981, I had invited a large number of personalities to announce our commitment to the book prize and I had wanted to make this coincide with a double-sided announcement: the naturalization of Milan Kundera and that of Julio Cortázar. Both wanted to become French but, for reasons of international politics, their requests had stalled. However, with Mitterrand’s agreement, I was able to obtain in a few days what had been dragging on for months or years – Kundera and Cortázar did not know each other and they ended up becoming friends beyond politics. This announcement was important for us who wanted France to be the homeland of all artists who hoped to find a home.
What is extraordinary in the case of Kundera is that he deepened his knowledge of the culture and the language to the point of subsequently writing many of his books in French. France has become his roof. There is also the marvelous, touching, beautiful, strong bond between Vera, his wife, and him. We often met with them, for dinner or lunch at François Mitterrand’s, or at the theater and the opera – he was very fond of music. I visited them at different times and Vera was always there, present, loving, bringing her affection, tenderness, care. I retain it concerning his awake gaze. His piercing eyes. His voice soft and firm. His delightful accent. He was attentive, modest, curious about everything. He was a prince, of great elegance, moral and physical. The last times I was able to see him, he was touching and leafing through books, finding comfort in caressing the pages. France was his homeland, but the book was his life. He was an absolute novelist.
What we sometimes forget is that he was also a man of the theatre. I remember Jacques and his master, his tribute to Diderot created at the Théâtre des Mathurins in 1981, the year of his naturalization. This piece showed both the playwright he was, but also his knowledge of French art and French philosophy.
#absolute #novelist #Liberation