photo: Jan Holoubek, PrahaIN.cz/Ordinary kindness, Extraordinary shamelessness
“Come on pioneer. That is, it can be different, you know? Pioneer. The smell will figure out where the pioneer dug in! Is it through a tunnel or not?” Do you remember the now legendary scene when Felix Holzmann and Lubomír Lipský are sitting over a crossword puzzle, and apart from the theater pioneer Josef Kajetán, he is certain that twelve months can never fit into the same number of squares?
Certainly yes.
In addition, I chose the quote I used on purpose. So he didn’t pick at random, if I use a pun at the level of the title under review. It fulfills two functions at the same time. First of all, I have to admit that I have not yet seen the combination of two semantically different novellas. That is why, in my opinion, Michal Viewegh is a pioneer. And at the same time I will note that I laughed many times. Above all, over the dialogues and the typically sarcastic approach to life, to fate.
This cannot be interpreted, you have to immerse yourself in those scriptures.
Because I read the “Sázav” author consistently, I can clearly see that he is strengthening. Not only in scope, but above all in vocabulary and ideas. I would put you first.
The range is noticeable. Photo: PrahaIN.cz
Caretaker Jiřina from Ordinary Kindness lives in a tired, unexciting marriage with the not-so-famous actor Luďek. That is, until the moment when he decides to help one of the clients he is in charge of at the retirement home. “A simple kindness is a love story from a retirement home. It’s about whether old people have the right to have sex, and I believe they do. In some homes, they are already so enlightened that there are even female workers who provide them with these services. In this fictitious home I wrote about, they don’t have that service. One caregiver, such a compassionate sister, decides to provide this service to her favorite grandfather herself. For half of the nation she is a heroine and for half of the nation a better prostitute,” the author himself told us. The point is excellent, the dialogues are sharp. What’s more, I haven’t come across the subject yet.
Typical sharpness, acridity and timbre
And that Viewegh adds spicy words to it is very clear in his case. In addition, ordinary kindness is cut into narrative planes his a herwhich gives it a much nicer color.
Extraordinary Shamelessness is a significantly broader part of the book. “It was originally supposed to be called The Fairy Tale Road to the Devil’s Ass. But in the end it didn’t go through because of the internet. The publisher told me that there would be a problem with the word ass. This is somewhat absurd, as it is a geographical name. It is a rock formation near Pelhřimov in Czech Canada. It is a story that I call corporate tour participants. The company is just going on a trip. This was originally supposed to be the Fairy Tale Journey to the Devil’s Ass. That’s not in the headline, and now it’s called Extraordinary Shamelessness,” Michal Viewegh told PrahaIN.cz.
Michal Viewegh tells us about his work. Photo: PrahaIN.cz
If in Ordinary Kindness he held his own and so-called stuck to it, then in Extraordinary Shamelessness he again perfectly combined his characteristic view of the matter and inserted not only himself, but also those once close to him, into seemingly fictitious settings. Curly hair, gray in places, eyes, her cunning, cunning, moreover, she kept my last name even after the divorce… I laughed again and sweated.
Also in the second novella dialogues rule. They don’t repeat themselves, they are funny and vulgar, they are experienced.
For a moment I wondered if it was harder to evoke fear or laughter. In the end, I came to the conclusion that laughter is, paradoxically, the most difficult literary field. Actors often say that playing something ordinary and sloppy is completely awful. Vlastimil Brodský spoke the same way when he refused to be a partner of animals, children and Vladimír Menšík. Viewegh also manages to raise a burst of laughter where I wouldn’t expect it.
You can imagine Ordinary Kindness, Extraordinary Shamelessness (IKAR, 2024) as a bridge. You don’t stop at it either and you go on and on. I believe that with his books (including collections of short stories, where it is exclusively about ideas), the author is preparing the ground for an even more extensive body.
And I don’t think she’s going to struggle with him in any way. It’s been a long time since he’s back in the game.
Ordinary Kindness, Extraordinary Shamelessness: A Comedic Exploration
photo: Jan Holoubek, PrahaIN.cz/Ordinary kindness, Extraordinary shamelessness
Ah, the literary world! Where the bizarre and the mundane have a cheeky little dance-off. And speaking of dance-offs, Michal Viewegh’s latest offering, Ordinary Kindness, Extraordinary Shamelessness, is nothing short of a two-step between the absurd and the downright hilarious. If you’ve ever wondered what lies in the heart of a retirement home, it’s probably not bingo night; it’s a heated debate on the right for seniors to engage in the kind of “exercise” they might not have had since 1965!
Oh, do you remember that cult classic scene where Felix Holzmann and Lubomír Lipský engage in an intellectual battle over a crossword puzzle? You’d think they were solving the secrets of the universe, rather than whether a twelve-month period could ever squeeze into a dozen squares! It’s this kind of imaginative quirkiness that Viewegh embodies as a pioneer in literature.
Now, let’s dive into the delightful chaos of the narratives nestled within this book. The novella Ordinary Kindness features caretaker Jiřina, who is in a rather bland marriage with her less-than-stellar actor husband, Luďek. But wait! The plot thickens like a good gravy when she decides to bring a bit of “spice” to the lives of her elderly charges. Apparently, when the retirement home is short on “enlightened” staff providing certain… shall we say, *personal services*, Jiřina takes it upon herself to fulfill those ‘needs’. It’s a tale that asks whether seniors have the right to a little pleasure in their twilight years. And judging by Viewegh’s wordplay, it seems like half the nation will either cheer her on or label her as a “better prostitute.” A classic moral pickle, wouldn’t you say?
Dialogue Steeped in Wit and Wisdom
Viewegh has a way with words that sing and sizzle. The dialogues crackle with life, jumping off the page like a rabbit at a magic show: unexpected, cheeky, and stealing the spotlight. You’d think the man had spent his entire life observing the absurdities humans can’t ever escape. And lo and behold, he has a knack for combining hilarity with genuine reflection, like a stand-up comedian who can still make you weep with joy.
Then there’s the second installment, Extraordinary Shamelessness, which, if I’m not mistaken, was almost titled “The Fairy Tale Road to the Devil’s Ass.” Now, if that doesn’t make you sit upright and peer closer, I don’t know what will! The title was happily scrubbed clean for the sake of decency, but you can’t deny it has a certain je ne sais quoi. It tells the story of corporate tour participants; a classic scenario turned on its head with the bizarre charm only Viewegh could muster.
What truly shines through in this book is Viewegh’s ability to poke fun at society while stitching in threads of humanity. He invites you to laugh at the absurd circumstances while also offering a warm toast to the quirks of life. His characters are as fleshed out as they are ridiculous, making the awkwardness of life a stage for comedy.
This book is like a bridge—you can’t help but cross it, and at the end, you’ll find yourself still chuckling over the journey you just survived. Each paragraph is a cleverly disguised lifeline, crafted for a reader eagerly waiting for the next wave of wit. If this volume is any indication, one can safely bet that Viewegh’s forthcoming works will not only fill your thought-box with ideas but will also keep you grinning like a Cheshire cat overstimulated by catnip!
In conclusion, if you consider yourself a connoisseur of humor tinged with poignant insights, Ordinary Kindness, Extraordinary Shamelessness (IKAR, 2024) is a must-have on your reading list. You’ll find the laughter and wisdom intertwined within its pages will linger far past the last chuckle. It’s been proven time and again: Viewegh is back in the game, and trust me; he’s not just playing for fun!