The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the least dressed of them all?

With this next review, we broach the dark and gnarled mess that is the 'postmodern' novel. It is a label that is abused and eschewed in equal measure, and the nebulous nature of the term suggests that Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Bring (TULOB) could make for uncomfortable reading. However, we need not worry, because in all its irreverence, cynicism and self-awareness, Kundera's TULOB is at heart a love story, with an earnest charm that considerably broadens its appeal.

Written in 1982 but published two years later, TULOB is unquestionably Kundera's most famous work and is informed by the Czech émigré's experiences as a contributor to the doomed Prague Spring movement led by Alexander Dubček in 1968. Kundera himself was born 200 kilometres west of Prague in Brno, but moved to the country's capital to pursue his academic interests and continue his staunch support of communism in Czechoslovakia. Matriculating at the Academy of Performing Arts, it was here where Kundera would become an active supporter of the liberal reforms proposed by Dubček, the soon-to-be First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.

The tolerant conditions wrought by Dubček's leadership allowed the nation's art and literature scenes to thrive again, with writers like Kundera at the forefront of the movement. This renaissance is unsurprising as in advocating free speech and abolishing censorship, the Czech leader Dubček presented journalists, musicians, artists, novelists and playwrights with a chance to be creatively autonomous; an unprecedented opportunity in the country's short history as a communist state.

However, these times were short lived, with the Soviet Union suspecting Dubček's reforms to be the first steps towards democratisation. The Soviet army quickly moved to occupy the country and Dubček was forced to resign, with tight restrictions on the arts re-imposed. For Kundera himself, the era of Soviet occupation was a period of great personal difficulty. Heavily persecuted by the ruling regime, Kundera lost his previously established job as a professor of film studies, was branded a dissident by the government controlled press and saw his books banned. Finally, in 1975, Kundera left his homeland under considerable political pressure, exiled to Paris, France. 

Plot: We begin with the thoughts of the narrator on the central theme of the novel- the concepts of 'lightness' and 'heaviness'; a dichotomy that he considers to be the most philosophically meaningful in the discussion concerning the nature of our existence. To illustrate, see Tomas, a brilliant surgeon, a cultured Praguer and a prolific philanderer. Tomas leads a 'light' existence, having left his wife and son to pursue a lifestyle where he collects 'erotic friendships' that demand no emotional attachment. It is an existence that he initially enjoys, but one that is interrupted by the chance meeting of Tereza, a small town waitress who immediately sees Tomas as a shining constituent of her own destiny. The two become a couple as Tereza furtively ensconces herself into Tomas's world, but despite the mutual attraction, the two seem mismatched; Tereza's burdened life standing polar to Tomas's.

However, a 'heavy' life with Tereza appeals to Tomas and soon overwhelms his desire to continue with his caddish ways. The two marry, get a dog called Karenin and move to Zurich after Tomas's political interests threaten the couple's safe existence in their now occupied homeland. Sadly, Swiss life breeds further personal discontent for the two; Tereza plunges into a depression driven by her domestication (during the invasion, she had found purpose in her work as an intrepid war photographer), whilst Tomas returns to his promiscuous ways of old, having a bowler hat themed tryst with his previous mistress, the artist Sabina. Without warning, Tereza dolefully returns to Prague and is quickly followed by a compelled Tomas.

Meanwhile, Sabina (the 'lightest' character in the novel) is engaged in an ill-fated affair with a vigorous professor called Franz. Sabina is acutely aware of the inconsonant nature of the relationship and chooses to leave her devoted lover, secretly revelling in the betrayal for which the act renders her responsible. This is a decision from which Franz will never truly recover, with it later revealed that his desire to embody Sabina's masculine ideal leads to his death at the hands of thugs during a political march in Cambodia. Sabina however, continues to live 'light', only deeply affected by her personal struggles with the disdainfully ubiquitous aesthetic of 'kitsch' and the delivered news of Tomas's and Tereza's death. (What?!)

So back (geographically/temporally) to Prague which has brought mixed fortunes for the married couple. Tereza, with a new dislike for her occupied city, hits an emotional nadir marked by a brief sexual affair that fails in its aim to counter her own self loathing. Conversely, Tomas's life has never been 'lighter'; whilst his professional standing has been damaged by a self-penned polemic that attracts the attention of the seemingly omnipresent authorities (and of his dissident son), his new job as a window cleaner has birthed a sense of freedom that is both rejuvenating and encouraging of adulterous acts with his clientele. 

Ultimately, the present/past situation for the couple is something that cannot be sustained, and the two decide to move to the countryside to give their relationship a fighting chance of surviving. Both Tomas and Tereza adore the bucolic life for different reasons, providing the solitude Tereza wants and the ownership of his wife that Tomas craves. However, the couple's dog and mutual constant, Karenin dies after developing cancer, leaving Tereza distraught and rueful of the life she has forced Tomas to live. The future is left uncertain, as Tomas reassures his wife that he is truly happy.

Q&A

So why read it? Hmm, not entirely sure how to answer this one. TULOB is definitely an acquired taste and could be argued that it spreads itself too thinly to be an effective commentary on anything. However, TULOB is also home to a number of savvy moments of such insight that encourage a rethinking of how life is best lived. And that's a great reason to read anything.

How long will it take me to read it? Took me 2 weeks.

How can I use it in conversation? Comments on a number of themes (Existentialism, life and death, love), but I reckon it perfect for a conversation on aesthetics and politics- Kundera's politically charged diatribe against kitsch makes for fascinating and incendiary reading.

Give me something good/controversial to say about it. "Kundera acknowledges something that has never been more pertinent in today's fractured world; how kitsch has extended beyond the aesthetic and pervaded into the political. We are presented by those in power with a liquid paper form of life, crafted and corrected so as to be anodyne." 

Best quotation? "I have said before that metaphors are dangerous. Love begins with a metaphor."

Is it like anything more familiar? It's a bit like Closer, inasmuch as everyone's life is woven into each other's, I guess.

If this was a movie what would the tagline be? This was actually made into a movie in 1988, starring the irrepressible Daniel Day-Lewis and the winsome Juliette Binoche as Tomas and Tereza respectively. The tagline then was "A lover's story", which, whilst pretty lame, is fairly accurate.

Who would star in it? Unhappy with the 1988 effort, Kundera has banned any further adaptations of his books. However, he doesn't read this, so I'd have Michael Fassbender as Tomas, Carey Mulligan as Tereza, Marion Cotillard as Sabina, and 80's Tom Selleck as Franz. Basically, Shame meets Magnum P.I.

Any good? It's aight.

FINAL SCORES

Entertainment- 5 Ponderous in parts, a definite slow burner.

Sex Factor (out of 10)- 9 Hair smelling of lady groin? Bowler hats and lingerie? A photo session where the subject and the photographer are both nude? And both girls?! It's all sounds pretty outré, but is in actuality well placed, given the book's skewed take on romance.

Blood type- B-, as in "Not to be negative about the book, but bar a few dream sequences and a beat down for Franz, not much gore to get excited about".

S***s and Giggles- 4 Funny in a way that will bring the creases of a wry smile to your supercilious face as opposed to any real laughs.