Milan Kundera's best of novels to read at least once in your life

Milan Kundera is a Czech writer who went into exile in France in 1975. He later became a French citizen in 1981 and was revoked of his Czech citizenship which was restored in 2019. The author his best known for his works like The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Immortality, The Joke and more. Here are a few novels of the Franco-Czech author to read at least once in your life.  

Best of Milan Kundera: Must read books of the popular author

Immortality

Immortality was written by Kundera in 1988 in Czech. Written in seven parts, this one was originally published in French. I t was later translated to English by Peter Kussi. This novel springs from a casual gesture of a woman, seemingly to her swimming instructor. The original title of the novel was Nesmrtelnost was published in 1990. 

ALSO READ | Harry Potter Books That Made Readers Go Gaga With Their Plot Callbacks

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a novel by Milan Kundera. It was published in 1984. The novel is set in the 1968 Prague Spring period of Czechoslovak history. The novel narrates the story of t two women, two men, a dog, and their lives in Prague. The main characters of the film include Tereza, Sabina, Franz, Tomas, and Simon. This novel was also adapted into a film of the same name.

Life is Elsewhere

Life Is Elsewhere is a Czech-language novel published in 1969. It was later published with a translation in French in 1973.  The setting for Life Is Elsewhere is Czechoslovakia before, during, and after the Second World War. It tells the story of Jaromil, a character who dedicates his life to poetry. This one falls into the Literary Fiction category. 

ALSO READ | Thomas Hardy's Most Iconic Novels That Were Turned Into Movie Adaptations

Ignorance 

Written in 1999, the original language of this one was French. Ignorance was published in 2000 and was translated into English in 2002. This one was translated by Linda Asher. She was even awarded the Scott Moncrieff Prize the following year. This one is a romance fiction novel fondly read by the crowd. 

Identity

Identity was originally published in 1998. This one was written by Kundera in a different language as well and was officially translated by Linda Asher. This novel falls into the category of psychological fiction. This one is said to be one of his shortest novels. 

ALSO READ | Gabriel Garcia Marquez Books That You Should Add To Your Reading List

ALSO READ | Author Milan Kundera Has Czech Citizenship Restored