Kundera's weak memory

On the online portal of the weekly magazine Respekt, chief editor Martin M. Šimečka and Petr Třešňá write that Milan Kundera's memory seems to be very weak indeed. Kundera, who is suspected of having denounced an opposition figure to the Czechoslovak secret police in the 1950s, has until now maintained that he is entirely unacquainted with the people involved in the case. This statement is at odds with the fact that he personally dedicated a book to two of them, Iva Militka and Miroslav Dlask, in 1953. "Written on the inside cover of the book are the words: 'For Mirek and Iva (illegible), Milan'. It is highly unlikely that someone could write such a dedication without knowing the recipients. Of course it could be that Kundera did know them but can no longer remember them. But then it is legitimate to ask what else he has blocked from his memory."

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