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89 Words followed by Prague, A Disappearing Poem: The Czech Writer's Personal Dictionary and Essays on Cultural Identity
Two newly translated works from one of the greatest literary writers and thinkers of the modern age, available together in English for the first time.
Translating a work from its original language can be complicated; it’s a complex art that can easily mar and twist the intent and meaning of a writer’s words. Precise translations were of particular importance to Milan Kundera, who did not live to see all his books published in his native Czech language. Words, for Kundera, were the object of constant scrutiny.
This fascinating volume includes two Kundera works from the 1980s, originally written for the now defunct French magazine Le Debat, which have never been available in in English. In “89 Words,” Kundera wryly recounts the many pitfalls in reading his own poorly translated works. When a friend of Kundera’s asked him about the words he considered the most—the ones he fretted over and loved—Kundera created a personal dictionary—his “89 Words.” This discerning essay, steeped in his signature barbed cheekiness, showcases his casually gutting philosophical reflections on what it means to be a writer in translation—the exile of life and art in another language.
In the second work, “ A Disappearing Poem,” Kundera writes with a wistfulness and despair for his ever-more-distant home, offering an intimate look at the specificity of his native the richness of a heritage born in a “small nation” but whose significance is universal. Here, like in A Kidnapped West, we find the double condemnation of “Soviet civilization,” which had suffocated and persecuted Czech culture, and of Western Europe, which refused to neither acknowledge Kundera’s culture or understand it.
Prefaced by lauded French historian Pierre Nora and translated from the French by award-winning Matt Reeck, these two texts return us to Kundera’s much-missed living presence. Subtle, alive, and full of wit and irony, 89 Words followed by A Poem that Disappears is an homage to a literary legend and a reminder of just how prescient his words and insights are today.
Translating a work from its original language can be complicated; it’s a complex art that can easily mar and twist the intent and meaning of a writer’s words. Precise translations were of particular importance to Milan Kundera, who did not live to see all his books published in his native Czech language. Words, for Kundera, were the object of constant scrutiny.
This fascinating volume includes two Kundera works from the 1980s, originally written for the now defunct French magazine Le Debat, which have never been available in in English. In “89 Words,” Kundera wryly recounts the many pitfalls in reading his own poorly translated works. When a friend of Kundera’s asked him about the words he considered the most—the ones he fretted over and loved—Kundera created a personal dictionary—his “89 Words.” This discerning essay, steeped in his signature barbed cheekiness, showcases his casually gutting philosophical reflections on what it means to be a writer in translation—the exile of life and art in another language.
In the second work, “ A Disappearing Poem,” Kundera writes with a wistfulness and despair for his ever-more-distant home, offering an intimate look at the specificity of his native the richness of a heritage born in a “small nation” but whose significance is universal. Here, like in A Kidnapped West, we find the double condemnation of “Soviet civilization,” which had suffocated and persecuted Czech culture, and of Western Europe, which refused to neither acknowledge Kundera’s culture or understand it.
Prefaced by lauded French historian Pierre Nora and translated from the French by award-winning Matt Reeck, these two texts return us to Kundera’s much-missed living presence. Subtle, alive, and full of wit and irony, 89 Words followed by A Poem that Disappears is an homage to a literary legend and a reminder of just how prescient his words and insights are today.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Milan Kundera
164 books19.5k followersMilan Kundera (1 April 1929 – 11 July 2023) was a Czech and French novelist. He went into exile in France in 1975, acquiring citizenship in 1981. His Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked in 1979, but he was granted Czech citizenship in 2019.
Kundera wrote in Czech and French. He revises the French translations of all his books; people therefore consider these original works as not translations. He is best known for his novels, including The Joke (1967), The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (1979), and The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984), all of which exhibit his extreme though often comical skepticism.
Kundera wrote in Czech and French. He revises the French translations of all his books; people therefore consider these original works as not translations. He is best known for his novels, including The Joke (1967), The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (1979), and The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984), all of which exhibit his extreme though often comical skepticism.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 5, 2025
This is an audiobook that should be listened to twice through. It is somewhat dense for audio listening, and may do better reading the words. However, that was the copy that I had and did not have the opportunity to listen through twice. The work is short enough that it can be read entirely in one day.
The introduction gives a very brief biography of Milan Kundera. The second section is the essay 89 Words. These are the words Kundera found important or significant, and often appear in his novels.
The last section is the essay/poem called: Prague, A Disappearing Poem. It does start out like poetry but ends up more similar to an essay. It discusses Prague and some of its history.
It was said this is a good introduction to Kundera’s works. I have read three of his books, although it was quite some time ago, they are not fresh in my memory. However, I believe one would do better having familiarity with Kundera’s novels. Often he refers to characters and situations located in his books and it would help to be acquainted with those.
Kundera speaks often about the words in his translations. Sometimes the translator gives a different word or phrase than what Kundera was trying to get across in his writings. Also, how some translations were done from another translation, and meaning there got distorted at times. Certainly this can be a problem with all translations.
Book rating: 3.5
Thanks to HarperAudio Adult, William Morrow and NetGalley for an advanced audio copy of this book.
The introduction gives a very brief biography of Milan Kundera. The second section is the essay 89 Words. These are the words Kundera found important or significant, and often appear in his novels.
The last section is the essay/poem called: Prague, A Disappearing Poem. It does start out like poetry but ends up more similar to an essay. It discusses Prague and some of its history.
It was said this is a good introduction to Kundera’s works. I have read three of his books, although it was quite some time ago, they are not fresh in my memory. However, I believe one would do better having familiarity with Kundera’s novels. Often he refers to characters and situations located in his books and it would help to be acquainted with those.
Kundera speaks often about the words in his translations. Sometimes the translator gives a different word or phrase than what Kundera was trying to get across in his writings. Also, how some translations were done from another translation, and meaning there got distorted at times. Certainly this can be a problem with all translations.
Book rating: 3.5
Thanks to HarperAudio Adult, William Morrow and NetGalley for an advanced audio copy of this book.
June 12, 2026
[Edit: I just fleshed out this sketch of a review by a fair bit over on my blog, where I also combined it with my rant-review of Kundera's The Kidnapped West...cheers]
This brief book is perhaps for the completists only, but for me (wannabe completist) it hit the spot…well, almost completely, particularly the first half, the 89 words half, as the terms he “defines” therein form the basis, from circa 1985, of the shorter, modified list included at the end of Kundera’s 1986 book, the absolutely essential The Art of the Novel ...
(PS: my lengthy midrash upon TAOTN can be found here for any other MK fans out there…I do hope to update that essay with some of the variants from this volume at some point…)
...I say “almost completely” above, and give this present “merely” 4*, simply because the second essay, “Prague, a Disappearing Poem” promised somewhat more than it delivered: the essay was truly captivating, but was also just far too short, ending almost when it began, it seemed to me. And so I shall have to get my MK fix elsewhere!
A few of teasers from the “89 Words” section:
This brief book is perhaps for the completists only, but for me (wannabe completist) it hit the spot…well, almost completely, particularly the first half, the 89 words half, as the terms he “defines” therein form the basis, from circa 1985, of the shorter, modified list included at the end of Kundera’s 1986 book, the absolutely essential The Art of the Novel ...
(PS: my lengthy midrash upon TAOTN can be found here for any other MK fans out there…I do hope to update that essay with some of the variants from this volume at some point…)
...I say “almost completely” above, and give this present “merely” 4*, simply because the second essay, “Prague, a Disappearing Poem” promised somewhat more than it delivered: the essay was truly captivating, but was also just far too short, ending almost when it began, it seemed to me. And so I shall have to get my MK fix elsewhere!
A few of teasers from the “89 Words” section:
BEAUTY (and KNOWLEDGE). Those who say, along with Broch, that knowledge is the novel’s only moral end are betrayed by the metallic aura of the word “knowledge,” which is compromised by its connections to science. More is needed: the novel discovers every aspect of existence, including beauty. The first novelists discovered adventure. It’s thanks to them that adventure seems beautiful and something we want. Kafka described the situation of a person who is tragically trapped. Those who study Kafka used to argue a lot about whether the author was giving us any hope or not. No, no hope. Something else. But Kafka discovers how the unlivable situation is both strange and full of black beauty. Beauty: the last possible victory of a person who has lost hope. Beauty in art: the light subtly emanating from the never-said. This light suffuses great novels; there will never be a time when it fades because, human existence being perpetually forgotten by people, the discoveries of novelists, even when they become dated, will never cease to amaze us.
BOOK. If I’ve heard it said once, I’ve heard it said a thousand times on various radio broadcasts: “As I say in my _book_ . . .”
The word “book” is given such weight, it’s stretched out so long and pronounced at least an octave above all the other words. When the same person says, “As people in my town say . . .” there’s no special emphasis on the word “town,” which has almost the same intonation. “_My book_” . . . the phonetic cue for literary masturbation.
IRONY. Which character is right, and which, wrong? Is Emma Bovary a pain in the ass? Or is she courageous, inspiring? No answer. The novel is by its very nature ironic, by which I mean its “truth” is hidden, unpronounced and unpronounceable. People want simplified portraits of the world where good and bad are clearly separated. With the heroism of Don Quixote, the novel finds itself in this inalterable terrain, while revealing to us the fundamental ambiguity of human affairs. Irony isn’t a personal penchant of this or that writer. It’s the essence of the novel as an art form. Irony = the way of making the ambiguous known.
NOVEL (and poetry). 1857: the most important year in the nineteenth century. Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal: the height of lyric poetry. Madame Bovary: for the first time, a novel took up the conditions of poetry (the intention of “searching everywhere for beauty”; the importance of each specific word; the intense melody of the text; the demand for originality applied to each and every detail). In 1857, lyric poetry passed the baton to the novel’s poetry. The history of the novel moving forward would be that of the “novel as a form of poetry.” But to take up the conditions of poetry is something entirely different from a lyrical turn in the novel (to renounce its capacity for irony, to turn away from the exterior world, to transform the novel into a personal confession, to decorate it with ornamentation). The most important poetic novelists are antilyric: Flaubert, Joyce, Kafka, Gombrowicz. A novel = antilyric poetry.
NOVELIST (and writer). I’m rereading Sartre’s essay “Why Write?” Not even once does he use the words “novel” or “novelist.” He only talks about the “prose writer.” It’s a meaningful distinction. The writer has original ideas and an inimitable voice. He can use whatever form (including the novel), and everything he writes, being identifiable by his thinking and his voice, belongs in his oeuvre.
The novelist doesn’t make much of his own ideas. He’s an explorer who, while searching here and there, manages to uncover an unknown aspect of existence, which only a novel can clarify and make visible. He isn’t caught up in his voice but by a form, and he chases after it. Only the forms that respond to the needs of his dream make up his oeuvre.
The writer delves into the spiritual map of his time, nation, and eventually the history of ideas.
The only context where the value of a novel is made clear is in the history of the European novel. The novelist owes nothing to anyone, except Cervantes
NOVELIST (and the novelist’s life). “The artist must make posterity think that he never existed,” Flaubert said. Maupassant prevented his portrait from appearing in a series of famous writers. “The private life of a man and his face don’t belong to the public,” he said. Hermann Broch said the following about himself, Musil, and Kafka: “Not one of us has a real biography.” This doesn’t mean that their lives lacked interesting events, but that their lives weren’t destined to be distinguished, to be public, to become life-writing. When Karel Čapek is asked why he doesn’t write poetry, he says, “Because I hate talking about myself.” The distinctive characteristic of a novelist is they don’t want to talk about themselves. “I hate sticking my nose into the intimate details of the lives of great writers, and no biography can ever remove the veil from my life,” Nabokov said. Italo Calvino warned others: he was resolved to never say a single true word to others about his life. And Faulkner wanted “to be a nobody, kept out of history, leaving no trace at all, other than what is in my books.” (Let’s emphasize “books” and “published,” and not manuscripts, letters, and journals.) According to a famous metaphor, the novelist destroys the house of his life in order to build another with its bricks: the house of novels. With this in mind, the biographies of a novelist undo what the novelist did, and redo what he had undone. Biographies, which add nothing to art, cannot bring light, value, or meaning to a novel. When Kafka attracts more attention than Joseph K., then his posthumous death is underway.
January 8, 2026
Acuto e struggente.
November 9, 2024
Винаги е удоволствие, ако ще и Кундера да говори и за чорапите си, което той не прави, защото е доста над битовизмите и техните дребни проявления.
Изданието съдържа две есета, писани и издадени през 80-те години във френското списание "Льо Деба" и чийто редактор ги обединява и издавана в отделна книга след смъртта на автора миналата година. Ако харесвате Кундера и сте го чели, прочетете ги, ще спечелите поредната хубава среща с него. Ако пък не сте чели нищо негово и се чудите дали да започнете с тази книга само защото е кратка, не се опитвайте, нищо няма да разберете. Подходете по-сериозно и действайте с някой роман.
Изданието съдържа две есета, писани и издадени през 80-те години във френското списание "Льо Деба" и чийто редактор ги обединява и издавана в отделна книга след смъртта на автора миналата година. Ако харесвате Кундера и сте го чели, прочетете ги, ще спечелите поредната хубава среща с него. Ако пък не сте чели нищо негово и се чудите дали да започнете с тази книга само защото е кратка, не се опитвайте, нищо няма да разберете. Подходете по-сериозно и действайте с някой роман.
November 27, 2025
In my kundERA
March 6, 2026
Kundera speaks about Czech culture with the absolute certainty of a Frenchman
February 22, 2025
"Bellezza, l’ultima possibile vittoria dell’uomo che non ha più speranza. Bellezza nell’arte: luce repentinamente accesa del mai-detto. Questa luce che si irradia dai grandi romanzi, il tempo non riesce a offuscarla: poiché infatti l’esistenza umana viene costantemente dimenticata dall’uomo, le scoperte dei romanzieri, per quanto vecchie, non cesseranno mai di stupirci." (pp. 51, 52)
December 14, 2025
A great intro to Kundera’s world! I enjoyed every bit of it
October 4, 2024
"МУЗУМРАЗЕЦ. Не е страшно да нямаш усет за изкуството. Можеш да не четеш Пруст, да не слушаш Шуберт и пак да си живееш спокойно. Само че музомразецът не си живее спокойно. Той се чувства унизен от съществуването на нещо, което не разбира, затова го мрази. Съществува популярно музомразие, така както има популярен антисемитизъм. Фашистките и комунистическите режими умееха да се възползват от него, когато преследваха модерното изкуство. Но съществува и интелектуално, изтънчено музомразие - то си отмъщава на изкуството, като го подчинява на цел, разположена отвъд естетиката. Доктрината на ангажираното изкуство - изкуството като средство на определена политика. Различните специалисти, за които произведението на изкуството е само претекст за прилагането на определен метод (психоаналитичен, семиологичен, социологичен и т.н.). Апокалипсисът на изкуството ще настъпи, когато музомразците сами се нагърбят да правят изкуство. Така ще се осъществи тяхното историческо отмъщение."
October 8, 2024
Credevo di trovare qualcosa di più sconvolgente, ma è uno sguardo interessante su Praga. Veloce indolore
January 1, 2026
“forgetting: an absolute injustice and absolute consolation at the same time.”
starting my year off with new kundera; always a pleasure to read his words
starting my year off with new kundera; always a pleasure to read his words
Read
November 17, 2025The concert of reading a translated book on the betrayals of translation
October 20, 2025
Years after reading Milan Kundera for the last time, his 89 Words is like "fresh air".
From someone who constantly thinks about everything, all the time, to someone who is just the same.
On the first page, of this new book, Kundera writes: "Translation is like a woman: either beautiful or faithful."
I would say that translation for it to be any good has to explain the written words precisely, but also explain the unwritten thoughts/ideas that went into (or didn't) the writing being translated.
Just like there is verbal communication, there is also body language (intention, perception, unsaid communication) that sometimes is essential to the understanding of the book, poem, story, ideas being written/published.
For instance, if one is not aware that Japanese have a specific poem called Haiku, then translating it raw, but precise, losing it's creative format, style and context, is lost. If this is lost, then the translation translates the written words, but not the author's intention.
I entered my first Amazon: Goodreads Raffle for a copy of this book. Because the length of the sweepstakes is so long, I could not help myself and read this really short, new, Milan Kundera book that is just 76 pages long, of those total pages, real writing by Kundera is less than 45 pages. 45 pages to me, today, is like a snapshot, 10-15 minutes to read, way too short to be memorable, but way too important not to read now.
Today, if a book is not 8-12-20-24 thousand pages I struggle to find reasons to dare to read it (even if it's from an author that writes well, has written good books or has entertained/informed/educated me before.
I recommend Milan Kundera. His thinking, his style, his ideas are different, like fresh air to me. Being a Cold War dissident from Czech Republic, describes so little of the gargantuan achievement that it was to escape the "Iron Curtain" for Socialist France, the "Cultural Capital of the World".
From someone who constantly thinks about everything, all the time, to someone who is just the same.
On the first page, of this new book, Kundera writes: "Translation is like a woman: either beautiful or faithful."
I would say that translation for it to be any good has to explain the written words precisely, but also explain the unwritten thoughts/ideas that went into (or didn't) the writing being translated.
Just like there is verbal communication, there is also body language (intention, perception, unsaid communication) that sometimes is essential to the understanding of the book, poem, story, ideas being written/published.
For instance, if one is not aware that Japanese have a specific poem called Haiku, then translating it raw, but precise, losing it's creative format, style and context, is lost. If this is lost, then the translation translates the written words, but not the author's intention.
I entered my first Amazon: Goodreads Raffle for a copy of this book. Because the length of the sweepstakes is so long, I could not help myself and read this really short, new, Milan Kundera book that is just 76 pages long, of those total pages, real writing by Kundera is less than 45 pages. 45 pages to me, today, is like a snapshot, 10-15 minutes to read, way too short to be memorable, but way too important not to read now.
Today, if a book is not 8-12-20-24 thousand pages I struggle to find reasons to dare to read it (even if it's from an author that writes well, has written good books or has entertained/informed/educated me before.
I recommend Milan Kundera. His thinking, his style, his ideas are different, like fresh air to me. Being a Cold War dissident from Czech Republic, describes so little of the gargantuan achievement that it was to escape the "Iron Curtain" for Socialist France, the "Cultural Capital of the World".
October 28, 2025
“Characters are shrinking in today’s novels … I imagine literature’s death: little by little, without anyone realizing it, characters will become so small that they’re completely invisible.”
I was really intrigued by the premise of 89 Words: Kundera is disappointed in translations of his work from Czech and, while he attempts to write in French, he collects these 89 French words (or phrases) that are dear to him. I find this section in itself quite a brave undertaking by the translator, Matt Reeck, as the semantics of individual words, meanings, and synonyms are often hard to pinpoint from one language to another (in this case, French to English).
This section is rewarding for Kundera fans because he analyses many of the words central to the titles or plots of his books; for example, “ugly,” “lightness,” or “laughter.”
In Prague, A Disappearing Poem, Kundera looks at Prague through its literary tradition and history, citing authors such as Kafka, Hašek, and Čapek. A bit over my head with all the references.
I would recommend this volume for fans of Kundera who have consumed a great deal of his work. Otherwise, his reflections may not be as impactful. I requested this because I was interested in Kundera’s work, but I will need to return to this one day when I have read more of his bibliography.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.
I was really intrigued by the premise of 89 Words: Kundera is disappointed in translations of his work from Czech and, while he attempts to write in French, he collects these 89 French words (or phrases) that are dear to him. I find this section in itself quite a brave undertaking by the translator, Matt Reeck, as the semantics of individual words, meanings, and synonyms are often hard to pinpoint from one language to another (in this case, French to English).
This section is rewarding for Kundera fans because he analyses many of the words central to the titles or plots of his books; for example, “ugly,” “lightness,” or “laughter.”
In Prague, A Disappearing Poem, Kundera looks at Prague through its literary tradition and history, citing authors such as Kafka, Hašek, and Čapek. A bit over my head with all the references.
I would recommend this volume for fans of Kundera who have consumed a great deal of his work. Otherwise, his reflections may not be as impactful. I requested this because I was interested in Kundera’s work, but I will need to return to this one day when I have read more of his bibliography.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.
January 6, 2026
5 January 2026
3.5 stars
It feels almost silly to be reading a book about the struggles of being a writer read in translation...in translation. But here we are.
89 Words is Kundera's "personal dictionary" of words and phrases that are very important and precise for him--words that have given his translators trouble, or words that he is warning his translators against changing and replacing. In it we see snapshots of scenes from his fictional works, as well as his thoughts on the state of Europe and the state of literature.
In Prague, a Disappearing Poem, Kundera dives deeper into the beauty and color and uniqueness of Prague. He talks about influential Czech writers before him and the things those authors' characters reveal about the identity of the Central European city. I will say that this essay required some background knowledge I did not have (I had not read or even heard of many of the Czech authors and characters around which this essay centers), but it felt like a valuable perspective to read nonetheless, and gave me a small peek into the artistry and rebelliousness and humor of Prague.
3.5 stars
It feels almost silly to be reading a book about the struggles of being a writer read in translation...in translation. But here we are.
89 Words is Kundera's "personal dictionary" of words and phrases that are very important and precise for him--words that have given his translators trouble, or words that he is warning his translators against changing and replacing. In it we see snapshots of scenes from his fictional works, as well as his thoughts on the state of Europe and the state of literature.
In Prague, a Disappearing Poem, Kundera dives deeper into the beauty and color and uniqueness of Prague. He talks about influential Czech writers before him and the things those authors' characters reveal about the identity of the Central European city. I will say that this essay required some background knowledge I did not have (I had not read or even heard of many of the Czech authors and characters around which this essay centers), but it felt like a valuable perspective to read nonetheless, and gave me a small peek into the artistry and rebelliousness and humor of Prague.
September 22, 2024
Un libro che è un ritratto di Praga, della sua storia culturale e delle figure di spicco che l’hanno rappresentata nelle diverse arti. Dopo l’invasione russa della Cecoslovacchia, avvenuta nel 1968 Kundera descrive Praga come «un foglio di carta in fiamme / dove scompare la poesia».
Infatti, il regime totalitario non ha solo eliminato diritti e democrazia ma anche appiattito la cultura locale. Le descrizioni dei lavori di artisti come Kafka, Hašek e Janacek fanno così riemergere quello che è stato inabissato. Lo scritto comprende anche un dizionario personale dell’autore (Ottantanove parole) che chiarisce le «parole chiave» della sua poetica e dei suoi romanzi (anche per "proteggerle" dalle imprecisioni della traduzione, soprattutto in francese). Un libro interessante, soprattutto per curiosare nello stile dell’autore.
"Arriva il momento in cui l’immagine della nostra vita si separa dalla vita stessa, diventa indipendente e comincia, a poco poco, a dominarci"
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Infatti, il regime totalitario non ha solo eliminato diritti e democrazia ma anche appiattito la cultura locale. Le descrizioni dei lavori di artisti come Kafka, Hašek e Janacek fanno così riemergere quello che è stato inabissato. Lo scritto comprende anche un dizionario personale dell’autore (Ottantanove parole) che chiarisce le «parole chiave» della sua poetica e dei suoi romanzi (anche per "proteggerle" dalle imprecisioni della traduzione, soprattutto in francese). Un libro interessante, soprattutto per curiosare nello stile dell’autore.
"Arriva il momento in cui l’immagine della nostra vita si separa dalla vita stessa, diventa indipendente e comincia, a poco poco, a dominarci"
⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 16, 2026
Listened to the audiobook, which felt like the right format — each word getting room to sit.
The premise is simple: 89 words, examined one by one. Not their definitions but their texture — what they carry, what they can't carry across a language or a lifetime. Kundera was famously controlling about translations of his own work, and reading this you understand why. He believed something real was lost each time a word moved from one mouth to another.
What stayed with me was the broader question underneath: how much of anything survives interpretation? Not just translation between languages, but between people, between eras, between the person who lived something and the person who later tells it. Every retelling is a small erasure.
The premise is simple: 89 words, examined one by one. Not their definitions but their texture — what they carry, what they can't carry across a language or a lifetime. Kundera was famously controlling about translations of his own work, and reading this you understand why. He believed something real was lost each time a word moved from one mouth to another.
What stayed with me was the broader question underneath: how much of anything survives interpretation? Not just translation between languages, but between people, between eras, between the person who lived something and the person who later tells it. Every retelling is a small erasure.
April 10, 2026
This is actually two books, quite different from each other and yet I see why the editors/ published linked them together in this volune.
They are both about language and love thereof, about creating and country and contribution.
One is a dictionary of sorts but also a love letter to writing and homeland and one a eulogy and an homage to a homeland facing extinction on the eve of what emerged as hopeful revolution
Both moved me deeply, made me laugh, and made me mad ( fair amount of pretension and snark) . Which i guess is exactly what great works should do.
They are both about language and love thereof, about creating and country and contribution.
One is a dictionary of sorts but also a love letter to writing and homeland and one a eulogy and an homage to a homeland facing extinction on the eve of what emerged as hopeful revolution
Both moved me deeply, made me laugh, and made me mad ( fair amount of pretension and snark) . Which i guess is exactly what great works should do.
April 14, 2026
3.5
89 words is an expanded section that originally I read in a Kundera book I like much more called Art Of The Novel...but that said, I realize how much I miss him now that he is gone. His Prague has disappeared much like he has. This is not major MK but for those who enjoy his writing, there is much to delight in here. Once you pierce the slightly arrogant veneer, there is a smart and funny man at the core. To be honest, a lot of this is just bitching about translation, but he has some amusing anecdotes.
89 words is an expanded section that originally I read in a Kundera book I like much more called Art Of The Novel...but that said, I realize how much I miss him now that he is gone. His Prague has disappeared much like he has. This is not major MK but for those who enjoy his writing, there is much to delight in here. Once you pierce the slightly arrogant veneer, there is a smart and funny man at the core. To be honest, a lot of this is just bitching about translation, but he has some amusing anecdotes.
November 14, 2025
His 89 words peaked in its mediation on translation, and suffered in his points on women. The real gem is in Prague, a Disappearing Poem, where Kundera locates the centre of the centuries old Czech identity problem in the literature and the arts. The Czech struggle between West/East is brought to the forefront here in an unabashed appraisal of the Czech western identity. A very interesting insight into a cultural struggle.
Read
May 22, 2026i have a BA in translation studies, and i found the author's perspective on translation both unexpected and valuable. the frustration he shares is very different from what i encountered being taught academically, and i think this would have been an invaluable reading during my studies. the book packs in so much... from his rationale behind word choices to really profound insights. it was fascinating to see how deeply he explores themes.
December 25, 2024
Великолепен Кундера.
За целия си живот като читател до ден-днешен не съм усещала толкова силна връзка с писател така, както с него. От стила му на писане — разпознаваем от първия ред — през идеите, които защитава (специално в тази книга), до въпросите, които поставя, които остават. Толкова близък, толкова важен, толкова насъщен.
С благодарност към преводачите и издателите му в България.
За целия си живот като читател до ден-днешен не съм усещала толкова силна връзка с писател така, както с него. От стила му на писане — разпознаваем от първия ред — през идеите, които защитава (специално в тази книга), до въпросите, които поставя, които остават. Толкова близък, толкова важен, толкова насъщен.
С благодарност към преводачите и издателите му в България.
October 15, 2025
Translations of 2 pieces from 1985. Clever and interesting commentary on 89 important concepts/words in his work, and a sort of cultural commentary on his country. I thoroughly enjoyed this short read, and I'm glad it was preserved for us English readers. Reminded me why I like Kundera, since his late novellas weren't all that engaging...
February 13, 2026
Топла и смислена среща с Кундера, дълго след "Непосилната лекота на битието", "Животът е другаде" и "Валс на раздяла". Тук писателят извежда неканоничното, но и равнозначно на свещенодействие мислене за писането. Той е наясно със същината на романа и ни поднася рафиниран ключ към разбирането му. А че Прага ражда таланти, това е безспорно; град с история и дръзновения, стигащи и днес до нас.
June 2, 2026
The lack of stars is for quantity, not quality. The second part of the book is an interesting reflection on the cultural and political history of Prague, written about 40 years ago, before the Velvet Revolution. It is a detailed cultural guide to the city and its unique place and value within the entirety of Europe.
June 5, 2024
Non ci riconosco la Praga d'oggi - ci sento l'eco di cent'anni fa. È la poesia di cui parla Kundera già scomparsa? Nemmeno posso saperlo - non l'ha conosciuta io. Contuttociò mi sembra che riconoscerla sia un lavoro anziché un passatempo che si prenda alla leggera.
November 6, 2025
4 ⭐️
This book is fascinating, especially in the eyes of a linguist. All the nuances around translating in a different language are spelled out and examined against the original writer's message and intent.
This book is fascinating, especially in the eyes of a linguist. All the nuances around translating in a different language are spelled out and examined against the original writer's message and intent.
February 24, 2026
I want to say “alarmingly fun” since some sort of irony appears required when engaging with Kundera’s work/mind.
Delightful!
Open a random page and enjoy Kundera’s stylistic flair with a slight smirk.
Delightful!
Open a random page and enjoy Kundera’s stylistic flair with a slight smirk.
Did Not Finish
May 5, 2026Randomly picked up this book and read a third of it right there. Took it home and the struggle began. There is a constant thread through the book which was well done but in which I personally lost interest.
November 24, 2024
C'était la deuxième partie de l'ouvrage qui m'intéressait pour mieux comprendre la ville de Prague. J'aurais aimé avoir ce petit texte plus tôt quand je déambulais dans les rues de la capitale.
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