Immortality by Milan Kundera is a complex and philosophical novel that delves into mankind's quest for immortality, interwoven with perspectives on love, erotica, morality, and art. The narrative meanders through fact and fiction, weaving real historical figures like Goethe and Hemingway with fictional characters, exploring themes of ageism, immortality, and the intersections of fact and fiction. Kundera's writing style breaks boundaries, engaging the reader in a philosophical journey through various topics, creating a unique and thought-provoking reading experience.

The book presents a mix of quasi-biography with straight-up fiction, time shifts from past to present, and ambiguity leading to multiple surprises. It serves as a foundation and framing for Kundera's philosophical musings, challenging traditional novel structures and inviting readers to think deeply about the complex relationships presented in the narrative.

Characters:

The characters are diverse, incorporating both fictional and historical figures, and demonstrate complex psychological depth.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is conversational and philosophical, blending narrative with essayistic insights and metafiction.

Plot/Storyline:

The story intertwines fact and fiction, focusing on the theme of immortality through various narratives, including real and imagined characters.

Setting:

The setting combines modern Paris with historical contexts, enriching the narrative landscape.

Pacing:

Pacing is slow and meandering, prioritizing philosophical exploration over dramatic tension.

The woman might have been sixty or sixty-five. I was watching her from a deck-chair by the pool of my health club, on the top floor of a high-rise that provided a panoramic view of all Paris. I was wa...

Notes:

Milan Kundera believes a novel should exist only as a novel, not adapted for cinema or theater.

Kundera's novels often defy traditional narrative structures and storytelling conventions.

Immortality is considered to have a unique, original narrative style that includes philosophical digressions.

Kundera often intertwines fictional characters with real historical figures in his stories, such as Goethe and Hemingway.

The book explores themes of love, mortality, and the desire for immortality.

Kundera himself becomes a character in Immortality, reflecting his views on life and literature.

The novel challenges the notion of dramatic tension, focusing instead on the enjoyment of prose and ideas.

Agnes, a character in the novel, symbolizes the complexity of love and relationships.

Immortality consists of a series of interconnected narratives that meander through various philosophical concepts.

Readers find value in Kundera's ability to provoke deep thoughts and reflections on their own lives.

Has Romance?

While Immortality involves romantic relationships, it is not primarily a romance novel; it explores deeper connections between characters.

From The Publisher:

This breathtaking, reverberating survey of human nature finds Kundera still attempting to work out the meaning of life without losing his acute sense of humour. It is one of those great unclassifiable masterpieces that appear once every twenty years or so.

'It will make you cleverer, maybe even a better lover. Not many novels can do that.' Nicholas Lezard, GQ

Ratings (5)

Incredible (1)
Liked It (1)
It Was OK (3)

Reader Stats (16):

Read It (5)
Want To Read (8)
Not Interested (3)

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About the Author:

Milan Kundera was born in Brno and has lived in France for over forty years. He is the author of the internationally acclaimed and bestselling novels The Joke (1967), Life is Elsewhere (1973), The Farewell Waltz (1976), The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (1978), The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984), Immortality (1991), and the short-story collection Laughable Loves (1969), which were all originally written in Czech. His play, Jacques and His Master (1984), Slowness (1995), Identity (1998) and Ignorance (2002) were all originally written in French. Milan Kundera has also written extensively about the novel in four collections of essays - The Art of the Novel (1968), Testaments Betrayed (1993), The Curtain (2007) and Encounter (2009).

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Immortality

Milan Kundera