“Impossible and somewhat absurd”: Austrian architect’s design for Kundera’s tombstone in Brno
Earlier this year, the city of Brno launched an art competition for the design of the tombstone of world-renowned author Milan Kundera. The commission went to Austrian architect Johannes Paar, who spoke with Radio Prague International about the ideas behind the design and what the finished tombstone will look like.
Over two years ago, the Czech-French writer Milan Kundera passed away. The celebrated author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being and The Joke had wished to be buried in his hometown of Brno, and when his wife Věra passed away shortly after her husband, plans were made for a joint grave.
Kundera’s wish can be seen as a symbolic return home, following a complex relationship with his homeland. The writer emigrated from communist Czechoslovakia in 1975 and settled in France. He became a French citizen in 1981 and wrote his later works in French rather than Czech, distancing himself from his native country. Johannes Paar, the Austrian architect to create the couple’s tombstone commented:
“Of course, I also see this as a symbolic return — to be buried in a cemetery in his hometown. In this respect, I bear a great responsibility in designing his tombstone.”
Paar’s design was selected from 38 submissions to an international competition launched by Brno’s city council. The jury was looking for a monument that would serve not only as a dignified resting place but also as an artistic reflection of Kundera’s intellectual and literary legacy. Paar described his vision for the design:
“The tombstone of Milan and Věra Kundera does something a tombstone normally shouldn’t – or perhaps can’t – do. It gives the impression that it is floating.”
The way the sleek white gravestone is positioned above a narrow gap makes it appear to float some 15 centimetres above the ground. This creates what the architect describes as an “impossible and somewhat absurd moment” – to anyone who has read any Kundera, a clear reference to moments in the writer’s novels.
“There are contradictions that crystallize in a single moment — such as the tension between lightness and weight, the possible and the impossible, or the serious and the unserious — never abandoning humour and irony, even in serious moments,” Paar explained how Kundera’s work inspired his design.
The architect nevertheless admits that he still has some catching up to do, having read only two or three of Kundera’s books. As the project moves forward, he aims to delve more deeply into Kundera’s writing, with the tombstone scheduled to be revealed in July 2026.
Regarding the material used for the gravestone, Paar refers back to the competition brief, which called for honouring the Kunderas’ wish for a simple design, reflecting Kundera’s writing style, described as “expressively sparse, yet not simplistic.”
“That’s why this design is also minimalist in form. The material itself is simple — it’s concrete. And of course, concrete always has a strong connection to a place, as the grains and aggregates it’s made from are usually locally sourced,” explained Paar.
The urns of Milan and Věra Kundera are currently kept at the Moravian Library in Brno. In July 2026, they are to be placed with the tombstone in the last remaining space in the Circle of Honour at Brno’s Central Cemetery, alongside figures such as composer Leoš Janáček and poet Ivan Blatný.
