The Unbearable Lightness of Being: A Prague Reading and Travel Guide

I had a reading affair in Old Town Prague with The Unbearable Lightness of Being. We spent some time together in my hotel room, the hotel library, a restaurant, and in the middle of the crowded Old Town Square.

I didn’t expect a second read of the novel (ten years later) to take such a hold of me, so much so that I also purchased a copy of Kundera’s short story collection, Laughable Loves.

“Kundera is not liked too much by women because of his portrayal of female characters,” Stepan, my male tour guide, said. Stepan is also an avid reader. We chatted about my Reading Prague Challenge and the foray into the literary worlds of Franz Kafka, Milan Kundera, Bohumil Hrabal, and Ivan Klíma.Hrabal is Stepan’s favorite.

Sure, Kundera’s portrayal of women accentuates their fragility. But life itself can be fragile. I think where Kundera falls short is how he is more subtle in his depiction of the weakness and vulnerabilities of his male characters. Why not bare it all on the page?

The Reading Challenge

During my Reading Europe Challenge, I have been Reading Prague in August. Please join me from your bedroom, train, or plane ride and let’s build our personal libraries and reading prowess by reading around the world.

This is the fourth and final book on the list, The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

To support the work of Reading Around the World, I ask that you kindly purchase your book from the Reading Around the World Bookshop and the book is linked below.

The Story

Tomas is a man with a twisted relationship with women. Estranged from his ex-wife and son, he has many lovers. He meets Tereza, with whom he spends an hour in a small Czech town. After that, Tereza starts to show up everywhere Tomas is and soon, they become inseparable. But Tomas is torn between his love for Tereza and his womanizing ways.

This is a book for book clubs not afraid of the challenge. There are so many viewpoints to be discussed, so many stories that will emerge. Yes, it is a love story of many layers, the story of a love that has too many incompatibilities but still tries to persevere. But it is also a psychological and philosophical book that examines the lightness and heaviness of life, of being.

“The heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to the earth, the more real and truthful they become.

Conversely, the absolute absence of a burden causes man to be lighter than air, to soar into the heights, take leave of the earth and his earthly being, and become only half real, his movements as free as they are insignificant.

What then, shall we choose? Weight or lightness?”

It is a look at the two women who frame the story, their relationships with their mothers, their outlook on love, their life perspectives.  And it is also a look at the shortcomings of the man in the middle, the life changes he has to make, due to his adherence to personal code. Around Tomas, society morphs, the rules change, his career changes, and suddenly things are not how they used to be. He has to take a closer, more appreciative look at the one person who has not changed, whose love has not changed—his partner, Tereza.

“She looked at him with love in her eyes, but she feared the night ahead, feared her dreams. Her life was split. Both day and night were competing for her.”

I didn’t expect to cry at the scene with Tereza and Karenin, her dog (I won’t include spoilers). But there I was, on the plane from Prague to New York, crying my eyes out. It was a visceral scene that said a lot about life, love, and partnership. This is a book that probes the existential, examines flaws, and asks questions of the ebbs and flows of life.

About the Book

The Unbearable Lightness of Being centers around a Prague surgeon Tomas, whose devotion to his wife Tereza is undermined by his relentless affairs. The book traces Tereza’s thoughts as she reconciles with a painful childhood and her devotion to Tomas. There is also the painter Sabina, Tomas’s mistress, whose relationship with Tomas betrays her partnership to the devoted Franz. Against the Prague Spring’s upheaval, their lives are intertwined as they confront both love challenges and the challenge to their freedoms.

At approximately 314 pages, this is a novel of layers that is best read with a reading partner or group.

About the Author

Milan Kundera was a Franco-Czech novelist, essayist, and playwright.  Born in Brno, he lived in France, his second home, for twenty years. He went into exile in France in 1975, acquiring citizenship in 1981. Prior to the Velvet Revolution, all of his works were banned. His best-known work is The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

A Guide for Your Reading Group Discussion

1. When Tomas first meets Tereza, she has a copy of Anna Karenina under her arm, and this is mentioned more than once. What do you think is the significance of this? If you have read Anna Karenina, what themes from that novel do you see underscored in this book?
2. What makes Tereza an empathetic character? As a reader, what did you expect from her? Discuss the moments when you were able to see her life and thoughts more clearly.
3. What does this book capture about flawed love relationships? How does it examine commitment and life partnerships?
4. There are sections of philosophical thought and sections that explore the crisis surrounding the Prague Spring. How did the philosophical sections affect your reading? What did you learn about that historical Prague Spring era—both from the novel and from your personal research of the times?

A Literary Travel Guide

If you are one of the daring souls unafraid to plan your travel around literature, here are a few places from this novel that will enhance your reading experiences:

• Zurich and Geneva, Switzerland. Tomas, Tereza, and Sabina end up in Switzerland at some point in the novel. Zurich is a mix of lakesidebeauty with open-air movie theaters and a walkable medieval Old Town. Geneva is situated on Lake Geneva, with a picturesque Old Town and beautiful parks.

• Charles Bridge in Prague. Teresa stops to view the Vltava, the longest river in the Czech Republic which can be viewed from the beautiful Charles Bridge.

Books to Purchase for the Reading Prague Challenge in August:

• Too Loud A Solitude, by Bohumil Hrabal
• Love and Garbage, by Ivan Klima
• Letters to Milena, by Franz Kafka
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera

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