Review of Lost Letters (Part Four) by Milan Kundera

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 

Genre = Novel, History (Historical Fiction)

Collection = The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera

Book Club Event = Book List (11/08/2025)

Intriguing Connections = 1) Get To Know The Peoples Of The World (Czechoslovakia, Russia), 

2) To Cooperate Or To Defect?, 3) Some Type of Romance, 4) The Persecuted and The Persecutors, 

5) War for Your Attention, 6) Capitalism, Socialism, their Alternatives and Critiques,

Watch Short Review

Review

Is This An Overview?

Tamina works at a café, and has skills that garner the attention of the customers.  The customers want to talk to Tamina, because Tamina appears to be listening attentively.  Tamina had escaped Russia occupied Czechoslovakia, but wants some notebooks that were left behind.  Notebooks in a parcel, hidden in the home of Tamina’s mother-in-law.  Tamina cannot go back, but wants the parcel.  Tamina attempts various strategies to get someone to go to Czechoslovakia to get Tamina’s parcel.  What is Tamina willing to do to have someone get the parcel?  Why does the parcel matter to Tamina?

 

Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?

•What are some limitations of the book?

•To whom would you suggest this book?

•Who is Tamina? 

•Why do people want to talk to Tamina?

•What does Tamina want the parcel?

•Where is the parcel supposed to be?

•What does Tamina’s mother-in-law know about the parcel? 

•Why and how did Tamina leave Czechoslovakia?

•How does Tamina attempt to retrieve the parcel? 

•Who is Bibi?

•Who is Banaka? 

Book Details

Translator:              Aaron Asher

Original Language: French

Translated Into:       English

Publisher:               Perennial Classics [HarperCollins Publishers]

Edition ISBN:         9780063290693

Pages to read:          30

Publication:             2023

1st Edition:              1978

Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:

Readability    5

Content          3

Overall          3

Review of The Angels (Part Three) by Milan Kundera

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 

Genre = Novel, History (Historical Fiction)

Collection = The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera

Book Club Event = Book List (11/08/2025)

Intriguing Connections = 1) Get To Know The Peoples Of The World (Czechoslovakia, Russia), 

2) To Cooperate Or To Defect?, 3) The Persecuted and The Persecutors, 4) War for Your Attention, 5) Capitalism, Socialism, their Alternatives and Critiques,

Watch Short Review

Review

Is This An Overview?

There is a laugher that is orderly, and a laughter based on absurdity.  A journalist writes an article, that breaks no laws.  An article that the authorities acknowledge did no harm.  Yet, deprives the journalist of a job and opportunities.  The authorities represent order, which justifies their desire to forget the person who the article was based on.  The authorities agree that nothing serious was done as the article used a pseudonym, and collected negligible fees.  Yet, the journalist becomes an unwelcome entity in society.  An absurd situation.  What happened to the journalist and what is humorous about the situation?

 

Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?

•What are some limitations of the book?

•To whom would you suggest this book?

•What are the different types of laughter? 

•Who is Mr. Kundera?

•Who is the journalist?

•Who is the narrator?

•What article did the journalist write?

•What did the authorities think of the article? 

•What did society think of the article? 

Book Details

Translator:              Aaron Asher

Original Language: French

Translated Into:       English

Publisher:               Perennial Classics [HarperCollins Publishers]

Edition ISBN:         9780063290693

Pages to read:          20

Publication:             2023

1st Edition:              1978

Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:

Readability    5

Content          2

Overall          2

Review of Mama (Part Two) by Milan Kundera

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 

Genre = Novel, History (Historical Fiction)

Collection = The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera

Book Club Event = Book List (11/08/2025)

Intriguing Connections = 1) Get To Know The Peoples Of The World (Czechoslovakia), 

2) To Cooperate Or To Defect?, 3) Some Type of Romance, 4) War for Your Attention,

Watch Short Review

Review

Is This An Overview?

Karel’s mother is not someone who Karel or Marketa can tolerate for long.  When Karel’s mother seemed miserable, Karel and Marketa wanted to have Karel’s mother live with them.  But changed their minds after Karel’s mother behaved in a way they could not tolerate.  Karel’s mother seemed petty, as Karel’s mother was concerned more about the lack of polite social behavior, rather than what everyone else was concerned about such as the Russian invasion.  But there was sympathy to Karel’s mother’s view, that the small moments of joy can be a useful distraction to overcome tragedy.

 

Karel’s and Marketa’s relationship has its moments of tension.  Both are equally stubborn.  What enables them to overcome their burdens, is their gatherings with Eva.  But Karel’s mother is visiting them, and does not leave when supposed to.  This interrupts the plans for the gathering that releases Karel’s and Marketa’s tensions.  How do Karel and Marketa handle the situation?

                                                                                 

Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?

•What are some limitations of the book?

•To whom would you suggest this book?

•Who is Karel?

•Who is Marketa?

•Who is Karel’s mother?

•Who is Eva?

•What happens with Karel, Marketa, and Eva?

•What happens during the Karel’s mother’s visit? 

•Why do Karel and Marketa want Karels’ mother to leave?

•What is the effect of jealousy? 

Book Details

Translator:              Aaron Asher

Original Language: French

Translated Into:       English

Publisher:               Perennial Classics [HarperCollins Publishers]

Edition ISBN:         9780063290693

Pages to read:          23

Publication:             2023

1st Edition:              1978

Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:

Readability    5

Content          2

Overall          2

Review of Lost Letters (Part One) by Milan Kundera

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 

Genre = Novel, History (Historical Fiction)

Collection = The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera

Book Club Event = Book List (11/08/2025)

Intriguing Connections = 1) Get To Know The Peoples Of The World (Czechoslovakia, Russia), 

2) To Cooperate Or To Defect?, 3) The Persecuted and The Persecutors, 

4) Capitalism, Socialism, their Alternatives and Critiques,

Watch Short Review

Review

Is This An Overview?

Although the Russian communist party was initially favorable to Czechoslovakia, they quickly had become no better than those who they overthrew.  People who share a disagreement with the Russian communist party, are removed from memory.  Removed even from photographs.  No matter their previous association with the party, or their rank.  People who denounce others survive, with those of higher rank more likely to be denounced.  While those who can think are denounced, those who cannot think are not promoted. 

 

As the state can declare any word, any idea, an attack on state security, Mirek decided to put away potentially compromising papers in a safe place.  Mirek was an intellectual who was critical on political ideas but was protected by the state for being useful.  When the Russians arrived, Mirek did not renounce held convictions, which resulted in a loss of status.  Before moving the papers, Mirek wanted to talk to someone from Mirek’s past.  After a long wait, was able to get in touch with the person.  Will Mirek be able to talk to the one Mirek had been thinking about?  What will happen to the papers?  

Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?

•What are some limitations of the book?

•To whom would you suggest this book?

•Who is Clementis? 

•What is the power of memory?

•Who is Mirek?

•Who is Zdena?

•What was the status of an intellectual?  

•How did Germany influence Czechoslovakia?

•What happened to Czechoslovakia when the Russians arrived? 

•Is there a difference between someone and their destiny?

•Why do people want power? 

Book Details

Translator:              Aaron Asher

Original Language: French

Translated Into:       English

Publisher:               Perennial Classics [HarperCollins Publishers]

Edition ISBN:         9780063290693

Pages to read:          19

Publication:             2023

1st Edition:              1978

Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:

Readability    5

Content          5

Overall          5

Review of The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 

Genre = Novel, History (Historical Fiction)

Collection = The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera

Book Club Event = Book List (11/08/2025)

Intriguing Connections = 1) Get To Know The Peoples Of The World (Czechoslovakia, Russia), 

2) To Cooperate Or To Defect?, 3) Some Type of Romance, 4) The Persecuted and The Persecutors, 

5) War for Your Attention, 6) Capitalism, Socialism, their Alternatives and Critiques,

Watch Short Review

Review

Is This An Overview?

A composition of stories about Czechoslovakia.  Stories meant to remind people of the power and value of history, of the power and value of laughter.  Societies become forgotten, by their people and by others, when their culture is destroyed.  Those in power then rewrite the society’s history, to suit their needs.  To validate claims of those in power.  People seek power to change the past.  The struggle against power, is a struggle to not forget.  By forgetting history, people are kept innocent.  Kept incapable of making decisions for themselves.   

 

The stories are from a time when Czechoslovakia was invaded by Russia, with Soviet Russia imposing their ideology on the people.  Seemingly favorable ideas, became destructive to the people of Czechoslovakia.  Anyone who disagreed or was in any way critical of Russian socialist ideology, was removed.  Removed from any position held, and removed from history.  Erased from photographs.  Portraying an untainted society, and a unified political organization.  No alternatives to state accepted claims were tolerated.  The stories are about those who in their way, tried to overcome the persecution methods.  Who laughed as a response to the absurd, or a way to distract from the tragic situations.  Joy is a valuable tool to the persecuted. 

 

Caveats?

The stories have different qualities, with interest in the stories depending on the reader.  Most stories are for a mature audience, as there is a lot of sexual content in the book.  

Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?

•What are some limitations of the book?

•To whom would you suggest this book?

•Which story is your favorite?

•What is the political background of the stories?

•What is the history of Czechoslovakia?

•How did Russia affect Czechoslovakia? 

•How did the people change their behavior?

•Are the interactions between men and women representative of behavior?

•What are the advantages and disadvantages of forgetting?

•What effect does laughing have?

•How do people influence each other?

Book Details

Translator:              Aaron Asher

Original Language: French

Translated Into:       English

Publisher:               Perennial Classics [HarperCollins Publishers]

Edition ISBN:         9780063290693

Pages to read:          180

Publication:             2023

1st Edition:              1978

Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:

Readability    5

Content          3

Overall          3