'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 incorrigible 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 irrevocable choices and fortuitous events, and everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance and weight - and we feel 'the unbearable lightness of being'.
A masterpiece by one of the world's truly great writers, Milan Kundera's 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 - and illuminates all aspects 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.'
The Unbearable Lightness of Being would have been one of those books that I hated. Filled with nudity and sex and pooing and farting, it's not exactly the kind of book I would have called "fun". In the case of The Unbearable Lightness of Being though, I feel like I understand what Kundera was trying to say. The constant cheating of the main character is there to make a point, not necessarily just for shock value. The book also includes some pretty advanced meta-fiction, which isn't something I enjoy, but it does interest me academically.
Don't read this novel for the story, because the story isn't realistic in the sense that it usually is in fiction. It's basically Kundera's interpretation of Nietzsche's philosophy, and he does make some interesting points.
