Life is Elsewhere Book Summary

In 'Life is Elsewhere,' Milan Kundera weaves a satirical tale about a young poet named Jaromil, whose life is shaped by the romantic ideals of art and revolution. As he navigates the complexities of love, identity, and politics, he becomes entangled in the very societal expectations he seeks to transcend. Kundera explores the irony of artistic ambition amidst the absurdities of life, challenging readers to reflect on the nature of existence, authenticity, and freedom. With humor and depth, the narrative uncovers the often uncomfortable truths about human desires and societal pressures. This thought-provoking novel invites you to question: can one truly live a genuine life while pursuing art in a world filled with contradictions?

By Milan Kundera

Published: 2000

""The struggle against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.""

Book Review of Life is Elsewhere

Out of print since 1987, "Life Is Elsewhere" is available again in an outstanding new translation. Kundera's epic of adolescence tenderly erodes such sacrosanct values as childhood, motherhood, revolution, and even poetry, in a "remarkable portrait of an artist as a young man" ("Newsweek").

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"The struggle against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting."

Life is Elsewhere

By Milan Kundera