Milan Kundera: one of the South Moravian capital's most famous sons

Writer Milan Kundera was one of the most famous sons of the South Moravian regional capital. Best known for his novels weaving intricate tales of love, politics, and exile, Kundera has been celebrated throughout his career for his unique narrative style, philosophical depth, and keen insights into the human condition.

Kundera was born on April 1, 1929, in Brno, Czechoslovakia. As a student in the late 1940s and early 1950s, he became a member of the Communist Party and wrote poetry in admiration of the then-Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. He later left the party and regretted the errors of his youth.

His works were intimately tied to the political and cultural milieu of his homeland. Novels such as "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" and "The Book of Laughter and Forgetting" provide profound commentary on the nature of love, memory, and the human experience within the complex historical and political landscapes of Central Europe, especially during the era of Soviet influence.

Following disputes with the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, Kundera was forced to emigrate to France in 1975, where he became a French citizen. In his later years, he began writing many of his novels in French, enriching the literary tapestry of his adoptive country.

As a result, the question is often raised whether Kundera should be regarded as a Czech or a French author. Vít Pohanka spoke to Ladislav Nagy, a translator and assistant professor at the University of South Bohemia, to ask him this very question.

“The question is not meaningless but it just doesn't tell us much about him. More than anything, I think he is a global writer. To a large extent, this is the consequence of the fact that he was translated into English and that all his books are available in English, which is the language of the globalised world. To answer your question as honestly as I can, I would say that he was a Czech writer who became a French writer who became a global writer.”

Listen to the rest of his answer in the full interview above.

Main works by Milan Kundera

1. The Joke (Žert) - 1967
- Kundera's first novel delves into the nature of artistic and personal expression in a Stalinist regime.

2. Life is Elsewhere (Život je jinde) - 1973
- This novel critiques the nature of poetry and politics, exploring the story of a poet who becomes a tool of political propaganda.

3. The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (Kniha smíchu a zapomnění) - 1979
- This work, part novel, and part fragmented narrative, delves into memory, political resistance, and personal identity.

4. The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Nesnesitelná lehkost bytí) - 1984
- Probably Kundera's most famous work, this novel explores the intertwined lives of several characters before, during, and after the Prague Spring of 1968. Adopted for a film directed by Philip Kaufmann and starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Juliette Binoche, this novel made him a globally known writer despite the fact that Kundera himself disliked the film.

5. Immortality (Nesmrtelnost) - 1990
- Focusing on the concept of personal legacy, this novel grapples with themes of aging, love, and the nature of immortality.

6. Slowness (La Lenteur) - 1995
- This was Kundera's first novel written in French. It offers a humorous examination of the modern pace of life by contrasting contemporary society with the 18th century.

7. Identity (L'Identité) - 1998
- Set in Paris, this novel delves into the intricacies of romantic relationships and the challenges of self-perception.

8. Ignorance (L'Ignorance) - 2000
- Focusing on the lives of two Czech emigrants returning to their homeland after years away, the novel contemplates the themes of memory, homeland, and the nature of forgetting.

9. The Festival of Insignificance (La fête de l'insignifiance) - 2013
- Through the conversations of several friends in Paris, Kundera touches on themes of history, meaning, and the nature of insignificance.

This list captures some of his most notable longer works, but in addition to these novels, Kundera also wrote many essays, plays, and short stories.