"Lucid, detached, and epigrammatic ...The book has its author's familiar swiftness and variety of attack and his elegant, provocative irony." – The New Yorker
"Incites us to reflect on fiction and philosophy, knowledge and truth, and brilliantly illustrates the art of the essay." – The New Republic
"Highly readable, provocative, and of inspirational force." – Anthony Burgess
"Kundera writes with wisdom and force." – The Village Voice
"Refreshing, unorthodox, valuable. Incandescent illumination by one of literature's most important voices." – Kirkus Reviews