‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’ author Milan Kundera dies at 94

Author Milan Kundera has died at 94.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being author passed away in France.

The Czech parliament observed a moment of silence for his passing.

MILAN KUNDERA DIES! One of the brightest and most esteemed minds in the world of literature, has died at the age of 94. Milan Kundera wrote one of the most recognized works of the 20th century and became one of the most respected personalities in the Czech Republic as well as in France.

The author was plagued by controversy due to his exile from the Czech Republic and his move to France. He became a French citizen when the communist regime decided to withdraw his citizenship in his home country.

MILAN KUNDERA DIES AT 94

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According to the press release, Milan Kundera passed away on Tuesday in Paris. “The renowned author died Tuesday afternoon,” his former publisher Gallimard said in a one-sentence statement Wednesday.

He confirmed that Kundera died in Paris but did not provide further information, according to The Associated Press.

What happened to the Kundera?

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So far, the author’s family has not issued a statement and his cause of death is unknown. The European Parliament observed a moment of silence in his honor, the AP reported. At this time, it is unknown if there will be a public funeral.

According to the EFE agency, the prose writer, playwright and poet, who had been writing in French since the 1980s, achieved worldwide fame in the second half of the 20th century with works such as The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Joke and Immortality. After his death, people offered condolences on social media.

Kundera was forced out of his home country by the communist regime

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In an interview, Kundera said that he never imagined leaving his country and losing his nationality. Likewise, he pointed out that he always thought that his nation had a kind of «eternal life», so he was struck by the power that the communist regime had and that they forced him to leave his home country.

“If someone had told me as a child: One day you will see your nation disappear from the world, I would have considered it nonsense, something I could not imagine. A man knows that he is mortal, but he takes for granted that his nation possesses a kind of eternal life,” he told author Philip Roth in a 1980 New York Times interview, a year before he became a naturalized French citizen, the AP noted.

A remarkable talent

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Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala offered his condolences to Kundera’s wife, Věra, who protected her husband from the intrusions of the world. It was not immediately clear if his wife was at his side at the time of his death, according to AP. In the tweet, she highlighted Kundara’s great literary contributions.

“Milan Kundera was a writer who was able to reach generations of readers on all continents with his work and achieved worldwide fame…” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala tweeted. “He left behind not only a remarkable work of fiction, but also an important work of essays.”