About the book
Set in the period of the 1968 Prague Spring, Milan Kundera's novel follows two women and two men whose lives turn on love and politics. Tomáš, a gifted surgeon, lives by a philosophy of lightness, keeping many lovers and no attachments, until he meets Tereza, a provincial waitress who follows him to the capital and in effect entrusts her life to him. His closest confidante is Sabina, a free-spirited painter and one of his mistresses, whose story runs alongside that of Franz, a married academic who idolizes her. The Soviet invasion that ends the liberal spring forms the political backdrop. Kundera wrote it in Czech, but it first appeared in a French translation, and it was later adapted for film.
Alain de Botton recommended it in the book Tools of Titans. Max Gurvits, director of Cross Border Angels, has read it three times since the age of 16 and values its mix of love story and life behind the Iron Curtain.
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This book has 5 recommendations
Alain de Botton (Author)
This book was recommended by Alain de Botton on page 488 in "Tools of Titans".
Cristina Riesen (Founder/We Are Play Lab)
First, a word on career paths. In time, I realised that career paths are like one-way streets. Magic happens in unexplored territories. Plus life is how you choose to live every moment, every day. So today, rather than building a career, I prefer to make lateral moves in life, working with great people and being part of ambitious projects impacting the world. There are a few books that got me here: [...] Milan Kundera "The Unbearable Lightness of Being".
Max Gurvits (Director/Cross Border Angels)
The Unbearable Lightness I first read when I was 16, and twice more at six-year intervals since then. Which is a good reminder that I should read it again in the next 12 months, keeping up the tradition. That book has a beautiful mix of a love story, a glance at life during the Cold War, particularly at the angst of intellectuals living behind the Iron Curtain, who are trying to reconcile their understanding of the fallacy of the regime and their personal fears, with a dictated sense of normalcy. For me, its strongest message is about the threats of cowardice and jealousy, that surround us in everyday life. That very “unbearable lightness” is not just a way to lock oneself up in a daily routine without paying attention to the world around us falling apart, but also the hardship that comes with a lifestyle perceived by others as worth of jealousy. And the realization that a carefully crafted life of sense and beauty sometimes invokes illogical anger from others who try to emulate it, but canʼt.
Bernard Tan (Founder/ReCactus)
I wasn’t expecting anything going into it, but I am currently quite engrossed by Kundera’s understanding of humanity and his beautiful writing style.
Iulia Ghita (Co-CEO/Bookster)
I like Milan Kundera’s books with his philosophical digressions that sometimes remind me of my own dilemmas, with The Unbearable Lightness of Being as my favourite. I find Kundera’s stories awfully sad, but yet so real, so close to human nature. I admit, I’m not a fan of happy endings, I prefer thought provoking endings.
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Alain de Botton, Cristina Riesen, Max Gurvits, Bernard Tan, Iulia Ghita
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Sources
- Tools of Titans
- Interview with Cristina Riesen, Founder @ We Are Play Lab, about Favourite Books
- Max Gurvits, Director of Cross Border Angels, Shares his Favorite Books & Lessons Learned
- Bernard Tan, Founder of ReCactus, Explains How Reading Connects Him to People Who Lived Before His Time
- Alexandra Stroe & Iulia Ghiță, Bookster's Co-CEOs, on Lifelong Education, Business Challenges and Habit-Building Books