Encounter

A passionate and provocative defence of art from the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Are we living in an era that no longer values art or beauty? This is Kundera's passionate defence of the creators who remain viscerally important to him, and whose work - especially the blazing newness of modernism - helps us better understand our world. From Francis Bacon's paintings to the films of Federico Fellini, novels by Philip Roth or Fyodor Dostoyevsky - as well as writers who are unjustly obscure, such as Anatole France and Curzio Malaparte - Kundera spiritedly champions these artists for a new generation. Startlingly original and provocative - and always elegant, witty and ironic - Kundera's argument that art is all we have to cleave to in the face of human evil grows more powerful by the day. 'I can't imagine reading this book without being challenged and instructed, amused, amazed and aroused, and ultimately delighted.' New York Times Book Review 'A pan-European intellectual force. The elegance of his arguments and lucidity of his criticism disguised as storytelling are marks of genius seriously focused but lightly worn.' Times 'Immensely readable, the volume combines the sterling virtue of good writing with emotional and intellectual engagement. In short, a triumph.'Sunday Telegraph

The French-Czech novelist Milan Kundera was born in the Czech Republic and has lived in France since 1975. He died in Paris in 2023.