Set against the backdrop of two class reunions — one in 1963, and the next in 1993, 30 years later — Ordinary Lives resurrects Skvorecky’s former narrator and alter ego, Danny Smiricky. As the reunions force Danny to reconcile himself to his past, he is plagued by a “torrent of ungovernable thoughts.” And as his former classmates begin to understand how he’s spent the intervening years, the reader is guided through a history of the major ideologies of the 20th century: from Nazism, to Communism, to capitalism. Skvorecky juxtaposes the defining moments of the modern era with the ordinary lives of his recurring characters. Beautifully written, slim but powerful, this novel is an apt culmination of a literary master’s extraordinary career.

约瑟夫•史克沃莱茨基（1924－2012）

捷克当代著名作家，著有小说《懦夫》、《激情澎湃的季节》、《人类灵魂的工程师》等。曾获加拿大总督文学奖、捷克共和国国家文学奖。1990年获捷克斯洛伐克总统授予的白狮勋章，1992年获加拿大勋章。2006年，捷克政府创办了以他的名字命名的文学奖。作家年近八旬，缅怀故土，回首一生，创作了《聚会》。

史氏亦是著名出版人。他于1968年流亡至加拿大，在那里创办出版社，出版捷克作家在本土无法出版的作品，这些作家包括米兰•昆德拉、哈维尔、阿尔诺什特•勒斯蒂格、赫拉巴尔、艾拉兹姆•高哈克、赛弗尔特等。米兰•昆德拉曾在《不朽》的序言里写道：“史克沃莱茨基夫妇为捷克文学作出的贡献无人能比。”