Milan Kundera is one of my favorite contemporary writers and after reading his most recent novel, Ignorance (2002) it is clear why. He is one of the few writers witting today, that writes about ideas, big ideas like the meaning of life, love, exile and so on (another notable exception is Michel Hollenbeq). This book is about two former Czech exiles that were once connected in their youth who return to Prague after the velvet revolution and come to terms with their pasts and with those who stayed behind. There are a number of issues to reconcile and some nostalgia or positive associations are formed on the return. It also is concerned with forgotten moments which continue to define us years later. Throughout the book Kundera alludes to The Odyssey, since it was 20 years that Odysseus was away from his home, which is similar to exiles who left in 68 and return in 88. He also analyzes the history of the Czech Republic and how it is view from abroad and how they view themselves. He also discusses how the exiles have adapted to their respective countries. Kundera himself is one of the exiles in Paris and knows of what he is writing. It is interesting to note that this is one of his novels that have been written in his adopted tongue-French. A short but powerful novel that explores complex human notions and ideas about identity and the individual’s place in the world.
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