The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera is an exploration of themes of memory, exile, disillusionment, and the absurd nature of life and history. Through a mix of fiction, non-fiction, and autobiography, the book examines the consequences of totalitarianism in Czechoslovakia and its impact on the individual, as well as the collective sense of identity.

The book is composed of seven sections, each containing a story or essay focused on a particular theme. The first section is a series of scenes from the Prague Spring of 1968, in which the Communist government of Czechoslovakia was overthrown and replaced with a more progressive government . These events had been largely forgotten by the time of Kundera's writing. The first section also introduces the reader to the themes that run throughout the book: the boundaries between memory and forgetting and the fragile nature of personal identity and history.

The second section introduces Kundera's childhood in Czechoslovakia, his education under the oppressive Communist regime, and his experiences of exile. This is followed by an exploration of the narrative structure of the novel and an analysis of laughter, which Kundera describes as the “truest expression of a free spirit”.

The third section contains four narratives, each of which explore the power of memory and the struggle to maintain a sense of identity in the face of suffering. The stories illustrate the unpredictable nature of life, showing how seemingly insignificant events can have Major Impact. This theme is also explored in the fourth section, which focuses on the “forgetting” of history, drawing on the events of the Munich Pact and the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

The fifth section is an essay that discusses the failure of the Czechoslovakian revolution, exploring how its promise of freedom was ultimately betrayed by the totalitarian state. The sixth section is a collection of essays and stories, which explore the power of imagination and the absurd nature of life.

The final section is a series of seven dream-like vignettes that offer a glimpse into the past, present, and future. Kundera uses these to show how the individual struggles to find a sense of self amid oppression, chaos and the ever-shifting contexts of history.

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting is an engaging work that offers a unique perspective on the history and culture of Czechoslovakia. Through the stories, essays and dreamlike vignettes, Milan Kundera examines the boundaries between memory and forgetting and the subtle distinctions between freedom and submission. Ultimately, the book reaches a bittersweet conclusion: that “forgetting and laughter are the only answers to a life impossible to bear”.