The Festival of Insignificance

After months of having sat sedately on my shelf, the book finally found its way into my December reading list. It was refreshing to read a book by Milan Kundera after almost a year or so. Like all his other books, this book encompasses Kundera’s wisdom and profound thoughts that percolate the little/grand events of our lives. Having introduced his heroes, Kundera sets out to explore the questions of eroticism, meanings, representations, history, relationships, and choices one makes in life. In a span of hundred pages, he lets his characters unravel themselves through introspection, lies, jokes, sickness, theatre and story-telling. In this book, Kundera artfully searches for the meaning of existence, to locate what it means to exist. He makes the reader question- Is existence the grand truths of our lives? Is existence the wider reality we share with each other? What is this existence? Where does it lie? Can we ever understand existence while existing in this reality? Or is it a festival we celebrate?

This is definitely unlike Milan Kundera. Obsession of women's navel being an erotic symbol, attractiveness of insignificance, Stalin and his story of 24 partridges get so convoluted and boring I just didnt know what to do with this book. Recommend to give it a pass. His other works - Immortality, The Unbearable Lightness of Being are top shelf.

Sorry to say that this is one of the master's weaker works, which has unfortunately been the case for a while. Thin characters and plot--that's never been the point of his books, but even the observations have begun to look insignificant.

Worth reading.

Excellent

Milan Kundra a master writer at his best.

Kundera at its best in smoothly depicting varied characters with their flaws and idiosyncracies.

The latest and probably the last novel of Milan Kundera is a very short work at just 130 pages. Though admittedly not upto the quality of The Unbearable or Immortality, the book is still easily recognisable for a fan of his work. His ability to take up the most trivial of human affairs and use it brilliantly illuminate our modern condition stands out. Non-fans may want to wait for a cheaper paperback edition, but a diehard Kundera fan like me can hardly wait. There's not another writer in this world I would pay 600 bucks to read 130 pages of.

As entertaining and thought provoking as always (so many ideas crammed in here!). Explores some of Kundera's classic themes about life, how to live it, and our times in a concise form. So it serves as a good introduction to this brilliant writer.

Loved this book ! The different quirky characters bring so much wisdom in the least expected situations!Highly recommended read!

Fabulous writing from just about the only living writer worth reading these days.

Exactly as it's described on the first page, seriously insignificant.

Interesting but probably not his best