Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Ten of the best visits to the lavatory in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best visits to the lavatory in literature.

One book on the list:
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

For Kundera, a visit to a nasty lav is emblematic of existential torment. The loo that Tereza visits in a Prague tower block is "broad, squat, and pitiful ... the enlarged end of a sewer pipe". Perching on the cold enamel rim she knows true humiliation. "As she voided her bowels, Tereza was overcome by a feeling of infinite grief and loneliness."
Read about the other entries on Mullan's list.

Lee Child called The Unbearable Lightness of Being "his private pick for the 20th–century novel that will live the longest."

--Marshal Zeringue