20세기 체코를 대표했던 카렐 차펙은 여러 장르의 문학을 성공적으로 시도하였다. 그의 대표작이라고 할 수 있는 3부작 소설인 <호르두발>, <유성>, <평범한 인생>은 르네 웰렉 등 여러 비평가에 의해 20세기 문학에서 철학 문제를 시도한 성공적인 작품으로 평가받고 있다. <유성>에서 차펙은 인식론 같은 철학적 문제, 독특한 서사구조뿐만 아니라 체코문학에서는 드물게 중남미의 주제들과 독특한 모티프들을 사용하고 있다. 강한 돌풍이 부는 어느 날 비행기 한 대가 추락하여, 조종사는 즉사하고 승객 한 사람은 형체를 알아보기 힘들 정도로 화상을 입었다. 병원에 실려 온 번데기 같은, 이름도 얼굴도 없는 붕대로 감싼 환자 X를 두고 의사들 외에 마침 병원에 있는 간호사를 포함하여 상이한 입장의 환자들이 환자 X의 정체성을 알아내려고 한다. 환자 X를 동정하고 사랑하기 조차하는 자비로운 수녀인 간호사는 꿈에서 본 환자 X의 과거를 정리하고 합성해서 이야기한다. 그녀는 환자 X의 삶을 자신이 경험해보지 못한 사랑의 문제로 도덕적 관점에서 살펴보고자한다. 천리안을 가진 초능력자는 정신 감응력(텔레파시)을 가지고 있어서 정신을 집중하며 환자 X의 실체에 다가가려 한다. 시인은 편지 형태로 익명의 사나이 환자 X에 대해 시적 구성을 해서 의사에게 전한다. 창작이라는 가능성의 영역은 무진장하고, 유쾌하고 혼란스러운 자유라고 규정한다. 의사들은 의학적 접근으로 비행기 추락으로 죽어 가는 환자 X는 벌써 신경증 환자로서 고통 받았던, 추락 전에 열대 지방에서 황달병에 걸렸다는 것을 추론한다. 이처럼 여러 관점에서 인간의 정체성을 탐구한다. 작품의 구성도 특이하다. 작가는 주인공들의 갈등과 대립을 통해서 한 사건을 여러 사람이 보는 관점으로 구성하고 있다. 본 이야기 속에 다른 여러 이야기들이 있고 회상, 독백 등이 섞여 있다. 마치 입체파 그림을 연상시킨다. 한 사건을 관점에 따라서 이렇게 볼 수도 있고 저렇게 볼 수도 있다는 것은 작가 차펙의 진리의 상대성을 예술적으로 표현한 것이다. 인물들의 마음의 움직임이나 발언 등이 인용부호도 없이 사용되거나 의학의 전문용어, 스페인어 등 외국어의 혼재 등, 이 작품의 문체 또한 복잡하다. 차펙의 이 소설은 독특한 소재와 문체를 통해 체코문학의 지평을 넓혀주고 있다.

Karel Čapek (1890-1938), who was representing 20 century Czech literature, tried successfully many literary genres. He was a famous novelist, playwright, short story writer and essayist. Even Rene Wellek called collectively the trilogy, Hordubal, Meteor, and An Ordinary Life, as one of the most successful attempts at a philosophical novel in any language. Capek uses philosophical problem such as noeticism, special narrative structure, middle and south American hispanic themes and motifs in his novel. On an extremely windy day a plane crashes. The pilot dies instantly and the passenger is burned beyond recognition. The elderly nun nurse who cares for patient X, who is completely wrapped in bandages like a cocoon, throughout the night tries figure out his identity. The nun nurse describes her dream about patient X, who she is very sympathetic about, and by doing so tells the story of his past. In her story, or dream to be precise, the merciful nun hears his confession. The story of patient X told by the clairvoyant follows. Before beginning with the story of patient X the clairvoyant emphasizes that all people have telepathic like senses such as premonitions, dreams, visions and fantasies. The clairvoyant says he can feel the emotions, fever and physical pain of the patient X. The poet writes a letter to the doctor poetically reconstructing the life of the unidentified man, patient X. He claims that the scope of creativity is infinite and that it is both carefree and complex. The doctors who investigate the dying patient from a medical standpoint determine that he is suffering from neurosis and that he contracted jaundice from a tropical region before the crash. Though very different than the doctors conclusion the story conveyed by these three people have something in common. Like this the identity of the dying was viewed by different viewpoints. The structure of this novel is complicated. Author composes the story which is viewed by various different point of views by contradict of characters. There are many stories which are consisted monologues and recollections in the main story. It reminds us Cubism paintings. Styles of this novel also are complicated. Thoughts and sayings of characters are used without any quotation mark.

Karel Čapek (1890-1938), who was representing 20 century Czech literature, tried successfully many literary genres. He was a famous novelist, playwright, short story writer and essayist. Even Rene Wellek called collectively the trilogy, Hordubal, Meteor, and An Ordinary Life, as one of the most successful attempts at a philosophical novel in any language. Capek uses philosophical problem such as noeticism, special narrative structure, middle and south American hispanic themes and motifs in his novel. On an extremely windy day a plane crashes. The pilot dies instantly and the passenger is burned beyond recognition. The elderly nun nurse who cares for patient X, who is completely wrapped in bandages like a cocoon, throughout the night tries figure out his identity. The nun nurse describes her dream about patient X, who she is very sympathetic about, and by doing so tells the story of his past. In her story, or dream to be precise, the merciful nun hears his confession. The story of patient X told by the clairvoyant follows. Before beginning with the story of patient X the clairvoyant emphasizes that all people have telepathic like senses such as premonitions, dreams, visions and fantasies. The clairvoyant says he can feel the emotions, fever and physical pain of the patient X. The poet writes a letter to the doctor poetically reconstructing the life of the unidentified man, patient X. He claims that the scope of creativity is infinite and that it is both carefree and complex. The doctors who investigate the dying patient from a medical standpoint determine that he is suffering from neurosis and that he contracted jaundice from a tropical region before the crash. Though very different than the doctors conclusion the story conveyed by these three people have something in common. Like this the identity of the dying was viewed by different viewpoints. The structure of this novel is complicated. Author composes the story which is viewed by various different point of views by contradict of characters. There are many stories which are consisted monologues and recollections in the main story. It reminds us Cubism paintings. Styles of this novel also are complicated. Thoughts and sayings of characters are used without any quotation mark.

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meteor, love, identity, philosophical novel, internal monologue, internal dialogue, reported speech, literary cubism.