The Unbearable Lightness of Being

陜西渭南中學 王 娟

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is an outstanding existential（存在主義的）novel by Milan Kundera,who is the Czech Republic most recognized writer.He has lived in exile（流放）in France since 1975,having become a naturalized citizen in 1981.

The novel starts with a philosophical discussion of lightness versus heaviness.Milan Kundera wonders if any meaning or weight can be attributed to life for one cannot live twice and there is no way to compare one life with another.The uncertain existence of meaning and the opposition of lightness and heaviness are mainly discussed in this story.

The protagonist（ 主 人 公 ）of the novel，Tomáˇs，is a brilliant Prague surgeon who pursues a philosophy of living a life full of lightness in this story.He hangs out with different women and enjoys following his individual rules for relationship.He would never think of his exwife and children.During a visit to a town he falls in love with a cafe waitress named Tereza.He breaks his rules and marries her.Although they get married,his attitude to women is still not changed.He claims that his relationship with other women would not decrease his love for Tereza.Tereza,however,unable to accept his behavior,suffers increasingly from nightmares.Tomáˇs even introduceshislong-term lover,Sabina to Tereza.Just like Tomáˇs,Sabina lives a light life with no burdens.

Tomáˇsisdriven outofPrague for some reason with Tereza.They go to Switzerland where Tereza finds herself useless and gets back to Prague.Tomáˇs finds a job washing windows and keeps seducing women.Then,Tomáˇs flees back too for he loves Tereza very much.After living peacefully in the country for some time,Tomáˇs and Tereza are killed one night in a driving accident.They die instantly and together.

參考譯文

不能承受的生命之輕

《不能承受的生命之輕》是捷克共和國最知名的作家米蘭·昆德拉創作的優秀存在主義小說。1975年后，他一直在法國流亡，1981年加入法國國籍。

小說開篇就對輕和重展開了富有哲理的討論。米蘭·昆德拉想知道，生命是否能被加上某種意義或重量，因為生命只有一次，無從把一種人生和另一種人生相互比較。意義的存在與否，以及輕和重的對立在小說中被濃墨重彩地討論著。

小說的主人公托馬斯是布拉格才華出眾的外科醫生，他追求的生活哲學就是輕松人生。他總是和不同的女人閑蕩，享受著自己對于個性化關系原則的遵守。至于前妻和孩子他想都不想。在一次小鎮之行中，他愛上了咖啡館的女服務員特麗莎。于是他放棄了自己的原則，娶她為妻。雖為人夫，但他對女人的態度卻絲毫未變。他聲稱和其他女人的關系根本不會減少他對特麗莎的愛。但特麗莎并不能接受他的行為，夜夜夢魘，苦不堪言。托馬斯甚至還把自己的長期姘頭薩賓娜介紹給特麗莎。而薩賓娜和托馬斯一樣，都過著輕浮放縱的生活。

某種原因使托馬斯攜特麗莎離開了布拉格。他們到了瑞士，在那里，特麗莎發覺自己無事可做，所以她又回到了布拉格。托馬斯找了份擦窗戶的工作，繼續勾搭女人。后來，托馬斯因為深愛著特麗莎也回來了。在祖國度過了一段平和的生活之后,某天晚上，托馬斯和特麗莎在一起交通事故中身亡，兩個人的生命瞬間終結。