‘Read this book; here is a writer who really matters.'Malcolm Bradbury

‘There are novels that are tragic, or entertaining, and this one is both. There are very few that give a fresh perspective on existence, and force the reader to reassess his own life and attitudes.' Victoria Glendinning, Sunday Times

‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a work of the boldest mastery, originality and richness.' Vanity Fair

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a story of irreconcilable love and infidelities in which Milan Kundera addresses himself to the nature of twentieth-century 'Being', offering a wide range of brilliant and amusing philosophical speculations. First published in 1984, Kundera's masterly novel encompasses the extremes of comedy and tragedy, and was at once hailed by critics as a contemporary classic.

PART ONE Lighmess and Weight

PART TWO Soul and Body

PART THREE Words Misunderstood

PART FOUR Soul and Body

PART FIVE Lighmess and Weight

PART SIX The Grand March

PART SEVEN Karenin's Smile