'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' by Milan Kundera is a philosophical novel that delves deep into themes of love, sex, human condition, and relationships. It follows the intertwined lives of four main characters - a doctor, a painter, a waitress, and a professor - set against the backdrop of communism and democracy. The novel is known for its unique narrative style that blends philosophical musings with the characters' stories, creating a complex and thought-provoking read.
Kundera's writing style in 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' is characterized by its blend of dreamlike imagery and brutal reality, creating a poetic and touching work that explores the weight of existence. The story unfolds through interconnected relationships, where the characters navigate between societal demands, political turmoil, and personal desires, leading to profound reflections on fidelity, betrayal, and the complexities of human nature.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Readers may encounter themes of infidelity, emotional distress, and political oppression, which may serve as triggers.
Has Romance?
The book contains significant romantic themes, including the complexities of love, infidelity, and emotional attachment.
From The Publisher:
'A cult figure.' Guardian
'A dark and brilliant achievement.' Ian McEwan
'Shamelessly clever ... Exhilaratingly subversive and funny.' Independent
'A modern classic ... As relevant now as when it was first published. ' John Banville
A young woman is in love with a successful surgeon; a man torn between his love for her and his womanising. His mistress, a free-spirited artist, lives her life as a series of betrayals; while her other lover stands to lose everything because of his noble qualities. In a world where lives are shaped by choices and events, and everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance and weight - and we feel 'the unbearable lightness of being'.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being encompasses passion and philosophy, infidelity and ideas, the Prague Spring and modern America, political acts and private desires, comedy and tragedy - in fact, all of human existence.
What readers are saying:
'Some books change your mind, some change your heart, the very best change your whole world ... A mighty piece of work, that will shape your life forever.'
'One of the best books I've ever read ... A book about love and life, full of surprises. Beautiful.'
'This book is going to change your life ... It definitely leaves you with a hangover after you're done reading.'
'A must read - loved it, such beautiful observations on life, love and sexuality.'
'Kundera writes about love as if in a trance so the beauty of it is enchanting and dreamy ... Will stay with you forever.'
'A beautiful novel that helps you understand life better ... Loved it.'
'One of those rare novels full of depth and insight into the human condition ... Got me reading Camus and Sartre.'
'One of the best books I have ever read ... An intellectual love story if ever there was one.'
Ratings (88)
Incredible (25) | |
Loved It (31) | |
Liked It (11) | |
It Was OK (10) | |
Did Not Like (7) | |
Hated It (4) |
Reader Stats (206):
Read It (89) | |
Currently Reading (4) | |
Want To Read (90) | |
Did Not Finish (4) | |
Not Interested (19) |
4 comment(s)
I'm lot sure what to say or think about this book. It wasn't bad but I didn't get attached by it either. Listen to the audiobook of it and I can tell the writing is well crafted but I might have enjoyed it more if I had read it.
Everything about Kundera’s writing suggests I should love this, his best-known, novel. But the misogyny is too overwhelming. Tried twice to read it. Gave up.
I don't know if I have understood the book or i am in an illusion of understanding.
Milan Kundera has put forth the idea of Lightness and Heaviness of a Human with different philosophies (which I never heard of). But the idea of Lightness/heaviness was understandable. He has narrated the story with Tomas, his wife Teresa and his mistress (one among several) Sabina. Everybody connected with each other and wondering what would have happened if we took some different path! Does "coincidences" bring us together or our own decisions?
The part which went above my head was the political talk/events/changes in the book.
The part which made me puke was passages describing erotism (ruthlessly!! :O )
I can't say I hated it but I need time to accept you Mr.Kundera. Please forgive me!
I enjoyed this book much more than I expected. Generally, this is not the book I usually like to read, but lately I've been trying to read more classics that I didn't read in my school days. I want to try something new, it also allows me to find out more about my tastes and what I like and don't like.
This is definitely not the story I usually read. I don't like contemporary novels where everything has a very deep, mystical or symbolic message, and the plot sometimes exists and sometimes is completely absent. That's why I didn't expect to enjoy this book. But I did. Maybe it's because the storyline was still there and I was invested in it pretty quickly. But to be totally honest I still don't fully understand my reactions sometimes, hence the whole exploring.
I was also surprised by a rather strong political thread. I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting it. I grew up in a country where the memory of what it was like under the communist regime is still very much alive. But I believe that for people who do not have such experiences, this image of ordinary life under the communist regime, where everything can be a provocation by the authorities and everything has a political context, can be very powerful. This may be another thing the readers will remember from this story.
Using a very large simplification, one could say that this is a story about love. Is this not the case for at least half of the books out there? But that would be an oversimplification of this truly multidimensional story. Because although love in all its complicated aspects is an important point in this story, it is also about so much more.
This is one of those books that you can read several times in your life and discover something new each time. I'm glad I read it now that I'm no longer in school and I can fully appreciate some topics. I also think that if I decide to read this book again in a few years, my life experiences will allow me to see even more in it than now.
What can you read after
The Unbearable Lightness of Being?
About the Author:
Milan Kundera was born in Brno and has lived in France for over forty years. He is the author of the internationally acclaimed and bestselling novels The Joke (1967), Life is Elsewhere (1973), The Farewell Waltz (1976), The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (1978), The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984), Immortality (1991), and the short-story collection Laughable Loves (1969), which were all originally written in Czech. His play, Jacques and His Master (1984), Slowness (1995), Identity (1998) and Ignorance (2002) were all originally written in French. Milan Kundera has also written extensively about the novel in four collections of essays - The Art of the Novel (1968), Testaments Betrayed (1993), The Curtain (2007) and Encounter (2009).
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