---
product_id: 76269532
title: "The Unbearable Lightness of Being: 'A dark and brilliant achievement' (Ian McEwan)"
price: "€ 19.87"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/76269532-the-unbearable-lightness-of-being-a-dark-and-brilliant-achievement
store_origin: HR
region: Croatia
---

# The Unbearable Lightness of Being: 'A dark and brilliant achievement' (Ian McEwan)

**Price:** € 19.87
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- **What is this?** The Unbearable Lightness of Being: 'A dark and brilliant achievement' (Ian McEwan)
- **How much does it cost?** € 19.87 with free shipping
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## Description

The bestselling modern classic: Milan Kundera's iconic novel of love and politics, body and soul, in communist Czechoslovakia is 'a dark and brilliant achievement' (Ian McEwan) by 'an artist' (Salman Rushdie). 'Shamelessly clever ... Exhilaratingly subversive and funny.' Independent 'A modern classic ... As relevant now as when it was first published. ' John Banville A young woman is in love with a successful surgeon; a man torn between his love for her and his womanising. His mistress, a free-spirited artist, lives her life as a series of betrayals; while her other lover stands to lose everything because of his noble qualities. In a world where lives are shaped by choices and events, and everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance and weight - and we feel 'the unbearable lightness of being'. Kundera's classic provoked a whole generation, encompassing body and soul, passion and philosophy, infidelity and ideas, the Prague Spring and modern America, political acts and private desires, comedy and tragedy - in fact, all of human existence. What readers are saying: 'Some books change your mind, some change your heart, the very best change your whole world ... A mighty piece of work, that will shape your life forever.' 'One of the best books I've ever read ... A book about love and life, full of surprises. Beautiful.' 'This book is going to change your life ... It definitely leaves you with a hangover after you're done reading.' 'A must read - loved it, such beautiful observations on life, love and sexuality.' 'Kundera writes about love as if in a trance so the beauty of it is enchanting and dreamy ... Will stay with you forever.' 'A beautiful novel that helps you understand life better ... Loved it.' 'One of those rare novels full of depth and insight into the human condition ... Got me reading Camus and Sartre.' 'One of the best books I have ever read ... An intellectual love story if ever there was one.'

Review: A Fine Romantic Czech story. - The Unbearable Lightness of Being. It is a sensual love story about a divorced Chech surgeon, Tomas, and a charming and attractive waitress, Tereza. The story is set during the crisis when the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia in August 1968, and the Russians started spying and terrorising the elites and educated masses. Mr Kundera has beautifully illustrated the fundamental distinction between true love or Romance and physical desire or sex. Another interesting part of this book is the other characters: Sabina, an ex-mistress of Tomas and Franz, a lover of Sabina, and a female dog, Kerenin, which the author weaves perfectly and skillfully. The end of the story was very touchy and romantic. I don't understand why the author has to explain the philosophy of the characters' thoughts and deeds. He should have left it open for the readers to scrutinise. I felt Mr Kundera was already mentally prepared to impose his ideology on his readers. It was like an overenthusiastic newly recruited professor coming to the postgraduate class and starting to explain the complexities without even questioning the students. Overall, it is a fantastic read. Five stars. Dr Brij Mohan. Author-Second Innings.
Review: intriguing, powerful and complete. - The Unbearable Lightness of Being is one of those books that make you think of thoughts you otherwise rendered unimportant. The book covers a multitude of themes but most important is the reason for one’s existence, one’s purpose in life. The story revolves around four characters mainly, each with a different past, a difficult present, especially in midst of a Russian invasion, and an unsure future. Tomas loves women. Well, he loves Teresa but he would suffocate to death if he had to sleep with only one woman for the rest of his life. His idea of love and sex are different from the usual and he is unapologetically himself. He is also a highly opinionated person, mainly politically. Teresa is running from her past. She doesn’t want to be like her mother- cruel, shameless and full of mistakes, but sometimes she finds herself in the exact same position. She is not a fan of Tomas’s infidelity, but she puts up with it, every day of her life. Sabina is attracted to the idea of betrayal. She hates stability and loves spontaneous situations. Franz is more like your average professor who has his principles of infidelity and need to do justice to one’s memory. The Unbearable Lightness of Being questions multiple things. First, it talks about one’s purpose in life, what it means to exist. It then goes on to the different things people love and how certain like to stick to a routine while others go with the flow. It talks about the complexities of a relationship and how the meaning of attachment is strictly personal. The author also takes his time to tell us his opinion about the Russian Invasion as the story is mostly set in the late 1960s. The opinion has been conveyed through his characters and sometimes very directly. The author is the narrator and he has fun creating his characters, giving them meaning and sharing a part of his life through them. The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a book that will give out a different meaning each time you read it, and even if you are the type who doesn’t let books dampen your thoughts and ideologies, you will end up enjoying this book because it is a fine piece of literature- intriguing, powerful and complete.

## Features

- FABER & FABER
- It is durable and long lasting
- It ensures you get the best usage for a longer period

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #6,080 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #240 in Classic Fiction (Books) #351 in Contemporary Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 5,995 Reviews |

## Images

![The Unbearable Lightness of Being: 'A dark and brilliant achievement' (Ian McEwan) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81tCmWIsbAL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Fine Romantic Czech story.
*by D***N on 1 January 2025*

The Unbearable Lightness of Being. It is a sensual love story about a divorced Chech surgeon, Tomas, and a charming and attractive waitress, Tereza. The story is set during the crisis when the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia in August 1968, and the Russians started spying and terrorising the elites and educated masses. Mr Kundera has beautifully illustrated the fundamental distinction between true love or Romance and physical desire or sex. Another interesting part of this book is the other characters: Sabina, an ex-mistress of Tomas and Franz, a lover of Sabina, and a female dog, Kerenin, which the author weaves perfectly and skillfully. The end of the story was very touchy and romantic. I don't understand why the author has to explain the philosophy of the characters' thoughts and deeds. He should have left it open for the readers to scrutinise. I felt Mr Kundera was already mentally prepared to impose his ideology on his readers. It was like an overenthusiastic newly recruited professor coming to the postgraduate class and starting to explain the complexities without even questioning the students. Overall, it is a fantastic read. Five stars. Dr Brij Mohan. Author-Second Innings.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ intriguing, powerful and complete.
*by M***A on 20 September 2018*

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is one of those books that make you think of thoughts you otherwise rendered unimportant. The book covers a multitude of themes but most important is the reason for one’s existence, one’s purpose in life. The story revolves around four characters mainly, each with a different past, a difficult present, especially in midst of a Russian invasion, and an unsure future. Tomas loves women. Well, he loves Teresa but he would suffocate to death if he had to sleep with only one woman for the rest of his life. His idea of love and sex are different from the usual and he is unapologetically himself. He is also a highly opinionated person, mainly politically. Teresa is running from her past. She doesn’t want to be like her mother- cruel, shameless and full of mistakes, but sometimes she finds herself in the exact same position. She is not a fan of Tomas’s infidelity, but she puts up with it, every day of her life. Sabina is attracted to the idea of betrayal. She hates stability and loves spontaneous situations. Franz is more like your average professor who has his principles of infidelity and need to do justice to one’s memory. The Unbearable Lightness of Being questions multiple things. First, it talks about one’s purpose in life, what it means to exist. It then goes on to the different things people love and how certain like to stick to a routine while others go with the flow. It talks about the complexities of a relationship and how the meaning of attachment is strictly personal. The author also takes his time to tell us his opinion about the Russian Invasion as the story is mostly set in the late 1960s. The opinion has been conveyed through his characters and sometimes very directly. The author is the narrator and he has fun creating his characters, giving them meaning and sharing a part of his life through them. The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a book that will give out a different meaning each time you read it, and even if you are the type who doesn’t let books dampen your thoughts and ideologies, you will end up enjoying this book because it is a fine piece of literature- intriguing, powerful and complete.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ An enjoyable short read
*by P***K on 22 April 2021*

One of my favourite kinds of media is media rooted in ideological/philosophical conflict, and Being plunges into conflict at the very outset. Kundera rejects Nietzsche's idea of eternal recurrence, and insists that everything a person experiences in his life occurs only once, thus giving being a nature of "lightness". In Kundera's view, commitment is heaviness and freedom is lightness. The main themes are love and sex, and Kundera argues that love is fragile and fleeting, and yet it holds significance for humans in a way that love and sex are believed to be synonymous. The plot walks with Kundera's commentary on the thoughts of the characters, and Kundera gives such an excellent philosophical insight into these thoughts, that halfway through the book I considered skimming through the story to get to the commentary faster. The plot, in fact, is secondary or perhaps even (dare I say) irrelevant. He discloses the climax in the middle like an indifferent shrug, but that in no way affects the beauty of this book. I won't go as far as saying that it is an earth-shattering, profound piece of literature that made me rethink life, and I am certain that it isn't meant to be. At its core, this is a book about Kundera's philosophical musings coupled with a LOT of shagging. But it ends up giving so much more than that.

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Unbearable Lightness of Being: 'A dark and brilliant achievement' (Ian McEwan)
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*Product available on Desertcart Croatia*
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*Last updated: 2026-06-24*