Life Is Elsewhere

Life Is Elsewhere is a novel by Milan Kundera that explores the themes of youth, adolescence, and the revolutionary romanticism of the 1960s.

The book is an epic portrayal of a young poet named Jaromil, who is both ridiculous and touching, horrifying and innocent.

Through his mother's influence, Jaromil becomes a poet and is trapped by the communist revolution.

The novel is a sly and merciless lampoon of revolutionary romanticism, with Kundera committing some of the funniest literary savaging since Evelyn Waugh polished off Dickens in A Handful of Dust.

Despite its dark themes, Life Is Elsewhere is also a tender and unsparing portrayal of an artist as a young man.

The book is a must-read for anyone who cares about literature in our difficult era.