Week 31: The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Milan Kundera's novel follows a Czech surgeon named Tomas and his wife Tereza between the late 1960s and early 1970s. It takes place mainly in Prague during the Prague Spring of 1968, which was a period of political reform in Czechoslovakia. This is an inherently philosophical novel, the title is a reference to notions of lightness and weight as they relate to human existence. Kundera asserts that life occurs only once, without repetition, making it "light" and fleeting because actions can’t be undone or judged by eternal consequences.

 

Instagram:

15minbookclub

 

Book mentioned:

Unbearable Lightness by Portia De Rossi