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Immortality by Milan Kundera
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Immortality (original 1990; edition 1998)

by Milan Kundera

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4,524402,513 (3.95)26
Milan Kundera's sixth novel springs from a casual gesture of a woman to her swimming instructor, a gesture that creates a character in the mind of a writer named Kundera. Like Flaubert's Emma or Tolstoy's Anna, Kundera's Agnes becomes an object of fascination, of indefinable longing. From that character springs a novel, a gesture of the imagination that both embodies and articulates Milan Kundera's supreme mastery of the novel and its purpose; to explore thoroughly the great, themes of existence.… (more)
Member:tglong
Title:Immortality
Authors:Milan Kundera
Info:Faber Faber Inc (1998), Paperback, 400 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:None

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Immortality by Milan Kundera (1990)

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» See also 26 mentions

English (32)  French (3)  Hebrew (2)  Spanish (1)  Dutch (1)  Russian (1)  All languages (40)
Showing 1-5 of 32 (next | show all)
Ah, I forgot about how old czech men write women. I remember disliking it as a teen, but I think I was more tolerant, maybe because of the literature available to me at the time, maybe because I lived in that culture, maybe just because grown women were something outside of my identity. In any case I found it more noticeable and annoying here than in other works. I did quite like some moments, generally at the beginning: I feel Agnes' early misanthropy, I've felt this walking down the street. And her desire for solitude. And the screed against universal fame and watching, that's become more relevant than ever. But the long middle section about weird-ass gender relations really dragged it down. I still enjoy Kundera's writing and ideas, and I have no problem taking the good from this to prompt my own thoughts. ( )
  Kiramke | Jun 27, 2023 |
Not as emotionally involving as Unbearable Lightness, I still enjoyed Kundera's musings and his imaginitive approach to storytelling. He juggles a number of separate, related narratives, but the most interesting one involves the poet and philosopher, Goethe. I particularly enjoyed the dialogue between Goethe's ghost and Hemingway's ghost in heaven. Unfortunately, the purely fictional characters didn't grab me in the same way.

Ultimately, the characters and their stories weren't as compelling as the author's thoughts on a wide variety of subjects. While I didn't agree with a lot of the ideas he put forward, I wasn't put off by them, as much as they helped me reexamine my own beliefs. His ideas are very personal and reflect a unique personality. Though some have found him misogynistic, and I can understand why, I don't necessarily buy it (or hope that he's not). The philosophical wanderings were enough to make me enjoy reading it, I just wish the story had left me with more of an emotional impact. ( )
  alexlubertozzi | May 24, 2021 |
This is one of the strangest books I have ever read. The mix of quasi-biography (Goethe & Bettina Brentano von Arnim) with straight up fiction (maybe?), time-shifts from past to present, and ambiguity leading to multiple surprises. The novel basically serves as ta foundation and framing for Kundera's philosophical musings. ( )
  librisissimo | May 7, 2021 |
What an amazing book... Having just closed it, it's reverberating inside of me like a new love. Kundera put into (beautiful) words so many thoughts and observations I made or at least believe I made in my first 36 years on this planet. In this book, the paradoxes, blatant untruths and crazy ideas all serve to highlight the many, many times his philosophical whims match 100% with your views and experiences.

I am sure however, that every reader will agree with different things in [b:Immortality|28634|Immortality|Milan Kundera|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388507539s/28634.jpg|2776625]. This turns this book into perfect material for hot debate, sleepless nights and a lot of pondering and wondering.

Where [b:The Unbearable Lightness of Being|678974|The Unbearable Lightness of Being|Milan Kundera|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1362345638s/678974.jpg|4489585] left me nearly depressed, Immortality feels like a celebration of life and urges us to go and live it to the fullest.

Full five stars: beautifully written, exceptionally unique style and great material all in one.
( )
  bbbart | Dec 27, 2020 |
In einem Fitness-Club über den Dächern von Paris sitzt Milan Kundera, Autor und Figur der Unsterblichkeit, und beobachtet, wie eine etwa sechzigjährige Frau Schwimmstunden nimmt. Zum Abschied winkt sie dem Schwimmlehrer noch einmal zu und macht dabei eine so graziöse Handbewegung, daß der Betrachter beschließt, diese Geste, die die ganze unerträgliche Leichtigkeit des Seins zu enthalten scheint, der Heldin seines Romans, Agnes, zum Geschenk zu machen.
Als würden auch wir auf diese Weise in den Roman gewunken: zu Agnes, der scheinbar Ätherischen, die ein erotisches Doppelleben führt; zu Laura, ihrer ein bißchen sentimentalen Schwester, die mit dem Journalisten Bernard nicht glücklich werden darf, weil dessen Geschwätz im Radio den Autor jeden Morgen zum Wahnsinn treibt; und zu Paul, der – auf seine Weise – bei den Schwestern seine Spuren hinterläßt. Darüber unterhalten sich auf höherer Ebene, im Jenseits: Goethe (in Pantoffeln, mit einer Sonnenblende am Stirnband) und Hemingway. Aber es gibt in diesem musikalischen Roman eben nicht nur die »große Unsterblichkeit« der Berühmten, sondern auch diese graziöse Handbewegung, die unvergessen bleibt: aufgehoben für alle Zeiten und unsterblich geworden in diesem Roman.
  Fredo68 | May 14, 2020 |
Showing 1-5 of 32 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (80 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Kundera, Milanprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Beranová, JanaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Marcellino, FredCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Roth, SusannaÜbersetzersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Valenzuela, Fernando deTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Zgustová, MonikaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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The woman might have been sixty or sixty-five.
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"Journalists realized that posing questions was not merely a practical working method for the reporter modestly gathering information with notebook and pencil in hand; it was a means of exerting power. The journalist is not merely the one who asks questions but the one who has a sacred right to ask anyone about anything."
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Milan Kundera's sixth novel springs from a casual gesture of a woman to her swimming instructor, a gesture that creates a character in the mind of a writer named Kundera. Like Flaubert's Emma or Tolstoy's Anna, Kundera's Agnes becomes an object of fascination, of indefinable longing. From that character springs a novel, a gesture of the imagination that both embodies and articulates Milan Kundera's supreme mastery of the novel and its purpose; to explore thoroughly the great, themes of existence.

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