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Rich in its stories, characters, and imaginative range, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting is the novel that brought Milan Kundera his first big international success in the late 1970s. Like all his work, it is valuable for far more than its historical implications. In seven wonderfully integrated parts, different aspects of human existence are magnified and reduced, reordered and emphasized, newly examined, analyzed, and experienced.
Reviews (389)
A little dry, but I like the way Kundera pulls you in and out of his thoughts to make his points. A good storyteller.
Perfect read for a three-day river trip down Cataract Canyon. I love the imagery.
A delightfull read that is playful, serious, and sometimes nihilistic all at the same time. Sardonic is a good word to describe Kundera's writing. He seems to show both the beauty and triviality of everything all at the same time. You love things, both because and in spite of their vaccuous ontology. A lovely book to teach you about "litost".