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Immortality (Perennial Classics) Paperback – October 20, 1999
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New York Times Bestseller
"Inspired. . . . Kundera's most brilliantly imagined novel. . . . A book that entrances, beguiles and charms us from first page to last." — Cleveland Plain Dealer
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 Agnès 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.
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateOctober 20, 1999
- Dimensions5.31 x 0.83 x 8 inches
- ISBN-100060932384
- ISBN-13978-0060932381
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Ingenious, witty, provocative, and formidably intelligent, both a pleasure and a challenge to the reader." — Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World
"Brilliantly mordant. . . beautifully translated. . . strong and mesmerizing." — New York Times
"Inspired. . . . Kundera's most brilliantly imagined novel. . . . A book that entrances, beguiles and charms us from first page to last." — Cleveland Plain Dealer
From the Back Cover
Milan Kundera's sixth novel springs from a casual gesture of a woman to her swimming instructor, a gesture that cre-ates a character in the mind of a writer named Kundera. Like Flaubert's Emma or Tolstoy's Anna, Kundera's Agnès 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.
About the Author
The Franco-Czech novelist Milan Kundera (1929-2023) was born in Brno and lived in France, his adopted homeland, since 1975. He is the author of the novels The Joke, Life Is Elsewhere, Farewell Waltz, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and Immortality, and the short story collection Laughable Loves—all originally written in Czech. His later novels, Slowness, Identity, Ignorance, and The Festival of Insignificance, as well as his nonfiction works, The Art of the Novel, Testaments Betrayed, The Curtain, and Encounter, were originally written in French.
From The Washington Post
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Immortality
By Kundera, MilanPerennial
Copyright ©2004 Milan KunderaAll right reserved.
ISBN: 0060932384
Chapter One
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 waiting for Professor Avenarius, whom I'd occasionally meet here for a chat.But Professor Avenarius was late and I kept watching the woman; she was alone in the pool, standing waist-deep in the water, and she kept looking up at the young lifeguard in sweat pants who was teaching her swim. He was giving her orders: she was to hold on to the to the edge of the pool and breathe deeply in and out. She proceeded to do this earnestly, seriously, and it was as if an old steam engine were wheezing from the depths of the water (that idyllic sound, now long forgotten, which to those who never knew it can be described in no better way than the wheezing of an old woman breathing in and out by the edge ofa pool). I watched her in fascination. She captivated me by her touchingly comic manner (which the lifeguard also noticed, for the corner of his mouth twitched slightly). Then an acquaintance started talking to me and diverted my attention.When I was ready to observe her once again the lesson was over.She walked around the pool toward the exit.She passed the lifeguard, and after she had gone some three or four steps beyond him, she turned her head smiled, and waved to him.At that instant I felt a pang in my heart! That smile and that gesture belonged to a twenty-year-old girl! Her arm rose with bewitching ease. It was as if she were playfully tossing a brightly colored ball to her lover. That smile and that gesture had charm and elegance, while the face and the body no longer had any charm.It was the charm of a gesture drowning in the charmlessness of the body. But the woman, though she must of course have realized that she was no longer beautiful, forgot that for the moment. There is a certain part of all of us that lives outside of time.Perhaps we become aware of our age only at exceptional moments and most of the time we are ageless.In any case, the instant she turned, smiled, and waved to the young lifeguard (who couldn't control himself and burst out laughing), she was unaware of her age.The essence of her charm, independent of time, revealed itself for a second in that gesture and dazzled me.I was strangely moved.And then the word Agnes entered my mind.Agnes.I had never known a woman by that name.
Continues...Excerpted from Immortalityby Kundera, Milan Copyright ©2004 by Milan Kundera. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Product details
- Publisher : Harper Perennial Modern Classics (October 20, 1999)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0060932384
- ISBN-13 : 978-0060932381
- Item Weight : 10.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.31 x 0.83 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #153,449 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,088 in TV, Movie & Game Tie-In Fiction
- #5,153 in Classic Literature & Fiction
- #10,884 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Milan Kundera, born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, was a student when the Czech Communist regime was established in 1948, and later worked as a labourer, jazz musician and professor at the Institute for Advanced Cinematographic Studies in Prague. After the Russian invasion in August 1968, his books were proscribed. In 1975, he and his wife settled in France, and in 1981, he became a French citizen. He is the author of the novels The Joke, Life is Elsewhere, Farewell Waltz, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and Immortality, and of the short-story collection Laughable Loves - all originally in Czech. His most recent novels, Slowness, Identity and Ignorance, as well as his non-fiction works The Art of the Novel and Testaments Betrayed, were originally written in French.
Photo by Elisa Cabot (Flickr) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
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Customers find the book enjoyable and well-written. They appreciate the author's witty and insightful writing style. The pacing is steady and engaging, with complex thoughts and suspenseful twists that keep readers hooked.
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Customers find the book enjoyable and engaging. They describe it as a pleasant, wonderful read that is refreshing. Readers praise the author's writing style and consider it a masterpiece.
"Milan Kundera is the best novelist I have ever read...." Read more
"...about the material and the major point of the story, It is a pleasant read...." Read more
"I love Kundera and this was a typical novel of his. Light and deep, funny and compelling, wistful and philosophically stimulating" Read more
"...little grey cells must work overtime for it all to sink in--but it is worth it. I finish each book then begin again to pull all the pieces together...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's language quality. They find it witty, beautifully written, and insightful. The author uses literary devices effortlessly, making the writing engaging and entertaining.
"...His power lies in his great intellect, keen and unerring observations of human behaviors, and his immaculate control of language to yield the exact..." Read more
"I love Kundera and this was a typical novel of his. Light and deep, funny and compelling, wistful and philosophically stimulating" Read more
"...pulling Goethe and Hemingway from beyond, effortlessly using literary magic devices in pleasing ways...." Read more
"...I thought it was insightful and beautifully written, and I eagerly wanted to learn more from Kundera...." Read more
Customers find the book engaging with its insightful writing and philosophical exploration of the topic. They appreciate the steady pace, twists, suspense, and complex thoughts. The book explores the theme through historical contexts and is described as thoughtful and caring.
"...His power lies in his great intellect, keen and unerring observations of human behaviors, and his immaculate control of language to yield the exact..." Read more
"...Light and deep, funny and compelling, wistful and philosophically stimulating" Read more
"...It's an interesting topic, one that gets to some of our core fears like death and what is the purpose of all this, and Kundera does a good job..." Read more
"Be ready for some twists, suspense, and complex thoughts, all at a steady pace." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's suspense and complex thought. They find the story fascinating and appreciate the minimal interruptions to the main plot.
"...The story itself is fascinating enough that I never raised a question as to why the two plots are set side by side...." Read more
"...The unbearable lightness of being, primarily due to less interruptions in the main story." Read more
"Be ready for some twists, suspense, and complex thoughts, all at a steady pace." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2024In great condition & delivered on time.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2010Milan Kundera is the best novelist I have ever read. His power lies in his great intellect, keen and unerring observations of human behaviors, and his immaculate control of language to yield the exact effect he desires. Even though I cannot read his works in the original Czech or French, the English translations are as, if not more, satisfying than the greatest of original English works. "Immortality" proves to be even better than the already awe-inspiring "The Book of Laughter and Forgetting." The point really is not the plot, but how it's plotted. It's the originality of working his voice into the surface of the text without subverting the comfortable author-reader decorum. It's the exploration of the nature (or un-nature?) of relationships, the impossibity of understanding between "different" kinds of people, and the longing for those with whom such understanding is possible. Agnes for her father. Her father for a woman that he might have met too late in life. Milan Kundera for an ideal reader.
The other part of the plot is centered on the anecdotal relation between Goethe and Bettina. It's a long discussion of how the title of the book, immortality, figures in in a relationship such as that between Goethe and Bettina. The story itself is fascinating enough that I never raised a question as to why the two plots are set side by side. I might come upon some insight later on, but one thing is pretty clear, Bettina is what Agnes is not. Even though the book seems to caste Agnes' sister Laura as Agnes' opposite, Bettina is the real counterpart to Agnes. One yearns for immortality in the public memory, the other for a quiet, private understanding. And from the sympathy he bestows upon Agnes, it is quite obvious that Kundera is partial to Agnes' kind yearning. But he also understands Bettina perfectly well. After all, he shares the same yearning for immortality.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2014No argument about the material and the major point of the story, It is a pleasant read.
I felt that Milan Kundera's viewpoint on immortality is more geared towards the artists' community.
There are definitely very many points that I started feeling it is now becoming more general, but a lot of interruptions in the story made it sometimes hard to follow the main point.
I personally enjoyed his other work better, i.e. The unbearable lightness of being, primarily due to less interruptions in the main story.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2020I love Kundera and this was a typical novel of his. Light and deep, funny and compelling, wistful and philosophically stimulating
- Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2022I will open my review with a quote from Kundera (supposedly) himself: "...I was becoming sadder and sadder: if a reader skips a single sentence of my novel he won't be able to understand it, and yet where in the world will you find a reader who never skips a line? Am I not myself the greatest skipper of lines and pages?"
If you are considering this book because you had just finished "The unbearable lightness of being" then I would advise you to reconsider. If you are a die-hard fan of Kundera then this is the book for you. I personally lost interest in following the story lines about 1/3 into the novel. And thus I find myself fast-pacing and skipping lines to the end. This is a brilliant work for an author to create but quite a laborious read (if not boring at time) for a reader. The story line(s) is (are) faintly recognizable and difficult to follow until the end. There are just too much details in between (and vulgarities as well as obscenities) that I personally think ended up inundating the readers. This could have been written better personally if Kundera had intended for his readers to enjoy (and not to skip lines). Instead, I believe he was just satisfying his creativity. Is that good or bad? It depends. I'm not a critic so it somewhat annoys me when I anticipate an enjoyable read. If I am to write a formal review then it could be quite interesting.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2013A late-comer to Kundera, my little grey cells must work overtime for it all to sink in--but it is worth it. I finish each book then begin again to pull all the pieces together. At my 3rd reading I begin to underline passages. Unlike any author I've read, I find myself putting down his books after each chapter to cogitate.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2014"Immortality" is so rejuvenating to the reading experience, pulling Goethe and Hemingway from beyond, effortlessly using literary magic devices in pleasing ways. It should leave its mark on the way you view a novel. One cannot describe the plot/theme without spoiling the trip.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2015By alternating narratives M.Kundera introduces the story of the main character and some insights that he has about the life of Goethe. The reflection revolves around a topic that torments man: death. Immortality like the desperate attempt to overcome that hideous fear of dissapearing...
Top reviews from other countries
- Mag. Friedemann DerschmidtReviewed in Germany on April 22, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
Read it! It is amazing!
- sudipta chakrabortyReviewed in India on May 29, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Good
- kimReviewed in Canada on December 5, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
I am happy with this book.
- AVBReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Kundera Classic
Love Milan Kundera's Writing.
I have bought this as a replacement to a lost lent copy - from years back.
love this story and how it weaves lives, and the recognition of who remembers who/what.
A good read. - looking forward to re-reading it.
- STReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 11, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps Kundera's best work
Great novel. I think this is Kundera's best work so far. It's a mystery why he's still not got Nobel Prize.