Recommend me some Milan Kundera?

[flexagon]

Last week I happened to notice that I'm afraid of reading Milan Kundera. In fact, I've been afraid of this for 18 years now. I thought he was just on my shitlist, until I really imagined opening up a book with his name on the cover and letting his sentences enter my head. *shudder*

The only thing I've read is The Unbearable Lightness of Being, in which a womanizing asshole gives his wife nightmares for ten years with his cheating (and finally stops when he gets kind of old and tired and doesn't care anymore). And I read it under bad circumstances.

I'm sure not reading that again, so recommend me something else. Has this dude ever written anything nice? I'm reading about his books on Wikipedia and nothing sounds especially safe if a person doesn't like infidelity (or needless cruelty).

About a character in Slowness:

Vera -- Milan's wife who has accompanied him on the trip to the chateau. She is repeatedly disturbed by Milan's thoughts as he tells the story.

Sigh. I bet she is, poor Vera. At least Ignorance has a female narrator? I don't generally look for such things, but with the way Kundera treats his fictional women it seems like a plus.

Comments

[bluechromis.livejournal.com]

Why bother with him? I wouldn't say this is a mountain you have to climb...

[flexagon]

I don't have to, but it's a style thing. Also a high-payoff thing. Why go through life with a fear that I could squish just by reading a novel?

[bluechromis.livejournal.com]

Or stop calling it a fear and start calling it an aversion. There, fear conquered!

[bluechromis.livejournal.com]

:-p

[flexagon]

And for a long time I thought that's all it was! Except I used to say he's on my shitlist.

[islenskr.livejournal.com]

OMG, I never finished The Unbearable Lightness of Being. It was a slog and depressing.
:(

[soong.livejournal.com]

There are so many good things you could be reading. Are you looking for something problematic to challenge yourself with?