The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Set against the backdrop of the Prague Spring period of Czechoslovak history, the novel explores the philosophical concept of Nietzsche's eternal return through the intertwined lives of four characters: a womanizing surgeon, his intellectual wife, his naïve mistress, and her stoic lover. The narrative delves into their personal struggles with lightness and heaviness, freedom and fate, love and betrayal, and the complexities of human relationships, all while offering a profound meditation on the nature of existence and the paradoxes of life.
The 99th greatest book of all time
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- Published
- 1984
- Nationality
- Czech
- Length
- Medium
- Pages
- 200-400
- Original Language
- Czech
- Avg User Rating
-
(3.9)
- Alternate Titles
-
- A Insustentável Leveza Do Ser
- A Insustentável Leveza do Ser
- A Lét Elviselhetetlen Könnyűsége
- A insuportabila ușurătate a ființei
- A insuportável leveza do ser
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 49 lists:
- 1st on PEOPLE Picks the Best Books From the 1980s (PEOPLE Magazine)
- 5th on As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition (New York Times)
- 6th on The Ideal Library (Book)
- 15th on The 101 Favorite Novels of 'Le Monde' Readers (Le Monde)
- 31st on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 35th on Big Read (German) (Germany)
- 35th on Kanon na koniec wieku (Canon at the end of the century) (Rzeczpospolita (newspaper))
- 46th on Waterstone's Books of the Century (LibraryThing)
- 47th on The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Telegraph)
- 54th on The 100 Most Important Translations (Notos Magazine (Turkey))
- 65th on 100 Books of Classical and Modern Foreign Literature (The Union of Russian Writers)
- 65th on TrueLit's Top 100 Favorite Books (2023) (/r/TrueLit)
- 73rd on Readers’ Top 100 Novels Of All Time (Guardian)
- 84th on Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books (Harvard Book Store)
- 88th on Our Users' Top 100 Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 92nd on Big Read (Hungarian) (Hungaria)
- 95th on Big Read (Bulgarian) (Bulgaria)
- 98th on Books Of The Century (Library Journal)
- 112th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 191st on The Big Read (BBC)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Books to Read from Eastern Europe and Central Asia (New East Digital Archive)
- 125 Books We Love for Adults (NY Public Library)
- 150 Great Reads (The Spokesman-Review Spokane Chronicle )
- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature (The Center for Fiction)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- 500 Must Read Books (The Daily Telegraph)
- 501 Must-Read Books (LibraryThing)
- 50 Memorable Books from 50 Years of Books to Remember (The New York Public Library)
- 75 Books Every Woman Should Read (Jezebel)
- Best Foreign Work of Fiction Chosen by Francophone Writers (French literary magazine Transfuge)
- Books of the Decade (1980s) (The Independent)
- Books that Shaped the Century (LOGOS 20th Century Books Project)
- Fifty French Writers Choose Their Favorite 10 Books - Honourable Mention (On en garde 10 ! Pour la littérature)
- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher (Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- Magnesia Litera: The Books of the Century (Magnesia Litera)
- NY Times Editors Choice 1980-1989 (NY Times)
- "Our Readable Century", The Best Books of the 20th Century -- Honorable Mention ( January Magazine)
- The 100 Best Books in the World (AbeBooks.de (in German))
- The 100 Best Novels Of All Time (Runners-Up) (The Guardian)
- The 100 Greatest Novels (Nezavisimaya Gazeta (Russian Newspaper))
- The 100 Novels That Have Most Enthralled "Le Monde" Since 1944 (Le Monde)
- The 100 Novels You Must Read in Your Lifetime (Esquire)
- The Bigger Read List (English PEN)
- Vendela Vida's Book Choices from "The Writer's Library" (The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives (Book))
- Zeit Literaturkanon (https://www.librarything.com/award/335/ZEIT-Literaturkanon)